


Paper Wings

by Cinnamean



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (half) Galra Keith, (part) Altean Lance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Wingfic, Angst, Avian Hunk, Avian Lance - Freeform, Avians, Blood and Injury, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Whump, Worldbuilding, heavy hance, kangst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-03-29 04:44:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13919643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnamean/pseuds/Cinnamean
Summary: Even flightless creaturesCan learn to fly~~~The Galra have taken everything from Keith. He is all alone, kicked out of the Garrison with nobody to turn to. When he learns of Shiro's location a year later, he dives in head-first to save him... But maybe he didn't plan this through well enough.Luckily, two Avians named Lance and Hunk help them out. Guardian angels, one might say.A story of brotherhood, hopeless obliviousness, and an endgame of love.Updates on Fridays!





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> HI HI HI AND WELCOME! Thanks for taking the time out of your day to try this fic out! I'm super excited for this project since its been rattling around in my head for so long. I started it in October last year and I think I have enough chapters to finally start this thing.
> 
> It is NOT fully written and currently has 7 chapters fully edited and ready to go. Updates are weekly, usually on Fridays.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy. This is simply the prologue in a way. Trust me, the chapters get longer... lmao

Shiro was injured. Not dead, but injured.

 

Alarms blared overhead before they even had the chance to make it out of the courtyard. Cursing loudly, Keith ran faster, dragging Shiro by the wrist. The other gasped for breath, his face sweaty and flushed, obviously needing to rest.  

 

They managed to get to the wall surrounding the facility, hiding behind the bushes and praying that the security guards wouldn’t find them. Keith turned to Shiro, putting his hands on his shoulders to snap him back into reality.

 

“Shiro,” Keith whispered, his throat tight. Shiro’s eyes w ere worryingly unfocused and cloudy. “I’m going to give you a leg-up and I need you to climb over the wall and hide in the forest, do you hear me?”

 

Shiro shook his head, his hair sticking to his face. “No, I’m not leaving without you.”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right out. But I need you to get out of here first.”

 

Shiro barely managed to get himself over the wall. If not for his strength, he would have never have been able to do it. Not in his current state.

 

Once Keith heard him land on the other side with a groan, he sprung into action. He didn’t feel comfortable with Shiro out of his sight for a second, not after just getting him back. He ran along the wall, searching for the only tree in the courtyard. The tall oak tree was enormous, half of the foliage awkwardly flat, the branches facing the wall were cut vertically.

 

He sprinted for the trunk, each second increasing his chances of being caught, something that he couldn’t afford. He slammed himself up against the tree, peering around to check if anyone was close by. Once he deemed it clear, he hoisted himself up and quickly climbed, the palms of his hands burning from the rough bark.

 

The leafy foliage was a good cover, so Keith allowed himself to calm his nerves before he proceeded. The wind tousled his hair, alarms still blaring from the building. There was yelling outside now. He had to hurry.

 

He eased himself closer to the edge of the branch, the wood bending under his weight. The wall was just a meter in front of him, the shelter of the forest just beyond it. If he was going to make it across, he was going to have to be fast.

 

Keith heard the wood splinter behind him before the bullet grazed his cheek. He hissed in pain, his hand clapping his own face by instinct. His palm came away wet, blood glistening in the sun.

 

The shouts got louder, getting closer. Carefully, he moved back towards the trunk, getting a running start before leaping off the branch, his heart jumping into his throat.

 

The ground wasted no time before slamming into him and Keith rolled to ease the impact. Now there was no denying that the security saw him.

 

Fuck, he needed to get back to Shiro quickly before they found him.

 

Keith quickly got to his feet, wincing when his ankles throbbed. He sprinted along the wall’s border, searching for the flash of white that was Shiro’s hair. Keith spotted him poorly hidden behind a tree, sitting on the ground leaning against the trunk.

 

“Shiro,” Keith said, sliding across the grass on his knees. The other was barely awake, bleeding heavily and soaking through the flimsy bandages. His forehead was slick with sweat. Keith jostled his shoulder. “Shiro, I need you to get up.”

 

Shiro grabbed Keith’s wrist, his skin worryingly pale. “Keith? What are you doing here?”

 

Keith bit the inside of his cheek. “Can you stand for me? Please?”

 

Shiro struggled to get himself off the ground, using the tree as support but still wobbling on his feet. As soon as he took his hand away he swayed towards the ground before Keith caught him.

 

The yelling was getting closer and he felt a pit of anxiety grow in his chest. “Here,” Keith put Shiro’s arm over his shoulder. “Use me as support. We need to hurry, so keep up.”

 

Shiro nodded just as a bullet impaled the tree, bark flying. Keith wasted no time, almost dragging Shiro along as he tried to get them off their trail. They took random twists and turns, leaving the forest roads and running into the underbrush.

 

Finally, the shouts and exploding fire of bullets ceased, leaving the forest quiet. The only sound was their own heavy breathing. The wind was nonexistent, the sky of leaves above them still. It was too quiet, eerily so. Something was wrong.

 

Why wasn’t it obvious that there would be security along the outskirts of the facility?

 

The first shot hit only a few inches in front of Shiro’s foot, embedding itself into the soft soil. The two of them didn’t stop for a second, both breaking into a messy sprint, almost tripping over each other’s feet. More bullets rained down, the attackers aiming to injure, not kill.

 

But that didn’t mean they couldn’t make it hurt.

 

Another bullet whizzed past, dangerously close to Keith’s head. He jolted back for only a second before continuing the run. Shiro was starting to get weaker, only half conscious and almost all his weight up against Keith, breathing heavily against his neck. He was less running now and more being hauled.

 

More heavy fire came from the trees above, piercing the ground and sending dirt into the air. Keith swore loudly and swerved to the left, skidding to a stop when he was met with a steep hill, what could almost be considered a cliff.

 

Well, shit.

 

A bullet snagged Keith in the arm, causing him to gasp sharply. This was deeper than the graze on his cheek, blood oozing through his jacket already. He stumbled from the force, trying to keep upright, but couldn’t keep his balance in the end.

 

With a shout, he went down with the bullet’s momentum, slipping down the steep hill. Keith tried grabbing onto Shiro for leverage but only succeeded in dragging him down with him. He lost his balance and fell on his side, all while keeping his death grip.

 

Goes without saying that the fall hurt. Badly.

 

Keith rolled down uncontrollably, the wound on his arm exploding with pain. His hold on Shiro was ripped away after he collided with a rock. Branches scratched at his face during the descent. All of this was concerning, but his main concern was where Shiro went after their hands slipped apart.

 

Keith didn’t remember reaching the bottom. What he did remember is desperately trying to push himself up on shaky arms, but ultimately falling flat. He turned his head, spotting Shiro not far from him, bleeding out on the forest floor and staining the grass beneath him.

 

Keith pushed forward and dragged himself across the ground, reaching out for the only person he ever kept close. He yelled Shiro’s name, trying to get him to stir awake, but he remained still. Keith couldn’t let Shiro die, not like this.

 

Shiro’s arm was completely ripped off at the middle of his upper arm, the stump heavily bandaged with gauze, but soaked red with blood. His once coal black hair had a patch of white, no doubt from the stress he had been under. A scar ran across his face, ripping across his nose with each end underneath either eye. He looked nothing like he had a year ago. Keith was reaching out to a completely different person.

 

Keith wasn’t even an arms length away before his body gave up, going limp on the ground. Black dots danced across his vision, his hand still hopelessly outstretched.

 

Just before it went black, he felt a gust of wind kiss his blistered skin. He heard someone approaching from not far away. Well, if they were to be killed by the Galra, Keith was glad he got to see Shiro one last time.

 

“Oh my gosh!” A deep voice yelled, obviously panicked.

 

Keith succumbed to his exhaustion.

 

~~~

 

It was a little over a year ago when Shiro went missing.

 

Keith was against it from the start, begging him to stay. Everyone knew how dangerous the mission was going to be. Afterall, going into Galra territory was dangerous, deadly even. It wasn’t something to consider carelessly.

 

“You can’t just leave!” Keith shouted, his fists clench ed in anger, but his brow furrowed in worry. “It’s too dangerous out there, what if you get hurt?”

 

Shiro had put his right hand on Keith’s shoulder, a reassuring smile pulling his lips. “It’ll be fine, Keith. We are only going to the outskirts to get some intel from our spies.” A comforting squeeze. “I’ll be back soon, promise.”

 

And Keith had believed him.

 

That was until he saw Shiro’s face staring at him from the TV screen, his smile mocking Keith as the word MISSING flashed across the screen. He went numb, completely frozen to the ground.

 

Shiro had lied. And Keith was going to make him pay.


	2. Arc I Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, you're here? Amazing.  
> A thank you to my beta, Adrianna. You are a wonderful person for putting up with all my nonsense;;  
> We finally get to see the bois. Not for long though. Also, can I add that I would kill to have Hunk hold me?

When Hunk went out to hunt that morning, he did not expect to find two almost-dead humans bleeding out on the forest floor.

 

The skies were gentle that day. He always woke up early in the morning to stretch his wings, soaring above the treetops while watching the sunshine through the soft clouds. The crisp smell of nature paired with the wind running through his feathers never failed to get him ready for the day.

 

The sun was just above the horizon when he landed back at home, relishing the cozy warmth for just a minute before slinging his bow and arrows on his shoulder and taking off back into the chilled morning air. Their food supply was almost out and they were long overdue to start some gathering. Maybe he could go into town later to get some new spices to experiment with too.

 

Birds chirped in their nests, flapping their wings in a flurried panic as Hunk flew past. He stayed high in the trees, hiding himself from any possible prey on the ground.

 

He had been flying for a while now and had yet to s py anything worth an arrow. Maybe all the animals were all sleeping still? No, it was almost noon so there should be  _ something _ around here somewhere.

 

Hunk rested on a low branch, taking a short break. He wasn’t used to flying around for hours at a time. Even if his wingspan was larger than average, it was still straining to support himself in the air for too long. He retied his headband and pulled the hair out of his face while simultaneously stretching his wings.

 

It never took him this long to hunt before. Had they scared away all the prey from this area already? They hadn’t been in this area for longer than a few months...

 

With a huff, he slipped off the branch and went into a nosedive, spreading his wings just before hitting the ground. He whizzed back up into the air and continued to search.

 

Well, he thought to himself, if I don’t find anything, then I’ll just head back home. At least it would be warmer there. Maybe tomorrow he could get his lazy nestmate to wake up and help him for once.

 

He was circling around the old hunting grounds- the one that was dangerously close to the border- when he heard yelling. Hunk hovered for a second, asking himself if he imagined the noise or not. The forest was silent.

 

Hunk wanted nothing more than to turn around and book it in the other direction, but what if there was someone out there who needed help? But then again, what if it was someone hunting him?

 

Oh no, the hunter has become the hunted!

 

He was about to fly the hell out of there when he heard a pained cry. It was desperate, pleading, and most of all, heart-wrenchingly pitiful. It made Hunk freeze in his tracks, pausing his getaway to listen.

 

Going against his better judgment, he let his curiosity and overwhelming concern overpower him. Hunk followed the sounds and weaved through the trees until he found who was yelling so painfully. Down on the ground was not one, but two people. They were both splayed out and visibly battered. One of them was laying in a growing red spot… Wait, holy crow, that was blood!

 

He landed on the ground a little ways from them, not trusting to get too close. Injured creatures could lash out if they felt threatened, he reminded himself. “Oh my gosh!” He yelled, mostly to himself. “Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh.”

 

The smaller of the two went limp, seemingly to have finally lost consciousness. He seemed to have been bleeding as well, his shirt sleeve completely soaked with red, a thick cut oozing down his cheek. Compared to the other one though, his injuries were minor.

 

It was when he got closer that Hunk realized these two were human. At first, he thought they might have been fae since they liked to use glamours, but nope. Their disguises always fell down once they weren’t conscious. Hunk was currently standing between two people whose ancestors nearly hunted his species to extinction.

 

God, this was no time to panic. He had to use his head. They w eren’t the hunters from before.

 

He looked up at the cliffside they had come down. So the humans somehow got across the border? How was that possible? The whole reason it was there was to keep anything non-magical out.

 

If it weren’t for his morals, he would have high-tailed it out of there as fast as his wings could take him. But he didn’t. Even if they were humans, he couldn’t leave them here to die. Not like this, that would be barbaric.

 

He bent down to pick up the larger of the two humans, eyes widening in surprise at how beaten he looked. The scar that tore across his face looked like it was painful. Hunk felt a tug at his heartstrings. When he picked him up in a cradle Hunk realized where all the blood was coming from. The man moaned in pain, his breathing uneven despite the fact he was unconscious. His mutilated limb twitched against Hunk’s chest.

 

It made Hunk’s stomach flip to think about how this man could have lost his arm. He felt the blood from the man’s bandage soak through his shirt.

 

With the first guy secured in an awkward one-armed cradle, he hoisted the other one up and over his shoulder without stopping to check his injuries. He feared he might lose the contents of his stomach if he did. The stench of blood hung over them like a cloud, making Hunk gag. His shirt was definitely ruined now.

 

The smaller human groaned, his nose rubbing against Hunk’s back, uncomfortably close to the base of Hunk’s wing. Right, these two were hurting. No time to worry about his own discomfort when these two were literally about to die in his arms.

 

He took back to the skies with the two awkwardly in tow, racing back to his home before they could bleed out. The extra weight made him slow, every second feeling like an hour.

 

He looked up and saw how high the sun was in the sky. God, he was going to get his ear chewed off by Lance once he got back.

 

~~~

 

After Keith’s father died, he had nobody. His mother was absent for all of his childhood and his father never really talked about her. He didn’t know of any other family he could turn to for help, so at the young age of nine, he became an orphan.

 

A social worker came for him and he was told he had two options. He could go into foster care and live with a new family, or he could live in the religious children’s home down the street.

 

He was uncomfortable with the idea of living with strangers, so he chose the children’s home. The worker nodded her head and had him admitted, thus the start of his new life.

 

The other children wrote him off as an aggressive and hostile kid because of the way he behaved. He got frustrated easily and had trouble properly expressing emotions to others. It made kids avoid him like the plague, afraid he might hurt them in one of his fits of anger. The few friends he did make always abandoned him in the end, too scared of his personality.

 

During the day, he ran away from the orphanage. Nobody ever realized that he was gone, not caring about the loner kid who only caused problems.

 

He roamed the streets alone, no adults ever stopping to ask where his parents were. Nobody cared about the dirty raven-haired boy sitting on the cur b. Keith simply liked to watch people. It was relaxing to sit back and detach himself from others and observe.

 

One day though, someone interacted with him.

 

“Heya, kiddo. What are you doing out here all alone?”

 

Keith looked up in surprise, his eyes meeting with the stranger. It was some guy who was probably still a teenager, his cheeks pudgy with leftover baby fat. He had kind eyes, showing no ill intent as far as Keith could tell.

 

That was the first time Keith met Shiro.

 

Keith turned his head away, resting it on his knees. “None of your business, stupid,” he said, muffled in his tattered jeans.

 

Shiro took a seat next to him on the curb, setting his backpack to the side. Keith tried not to look; he tried to act indifferent, but this person caught his attention. The teenager stayed silent, both of them watching cars whizz by silently.

 

“My name’s Takashi, but you can call me Shiro,” the teenager said, aiming a warm smile down at the boy. He didn’t ask for a name back.

 

“Keith,” he said after a while, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

 

Shiro’s smile grew. “Nice to meet you, Keith.”

 

~~~

 

The first thing Keith realized was how warm he felt. It wasn’t the smothering, suffocated kind that he was used to, but more like an embrace. He sank into the feeling, turning his cheek into the soft pillow beneath his head.

 

He hadn’t felt this comfortable in years, if ever at all.

 

Next thing he felt was the painful flare in his arm, forcing him to sit up with a gasp, dizzy and disoriented. He grabbed his head, groaning when the room spun around him. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer and swung it at his head. His whole face was soaked with sweat; the hair matted to his forehead and back of his neck begged for a shower.

 

Wait… Where was he?

 

The room he was in was small and cozy, the walls and floor made entirely out of wood, kind of like a cabin. He sat on a small sized bed, the covers a mix of colorful greens and yellows. There was a single window covered by a thin lime green curtain. Judging from the dull light illuminating the room, the sun was either starting to rise or set.

 

The memories came flooding into his mind. Breaking Shiro out, being chased, getting shot and tumbling down the steep hill. Man, Keith didn’t expect that to happen. To be honest, he hadn’t really thought much past the “get Shiro” part of the plan. Shiro always told him that he acted before he thought. Shoot before asking. Keith was starting to see how accurate he was about that...

 

Wait, Shiro. Where was he?!

 

Keith quickly swung his feet over the bed to stand, but his ankle seized in pain, sending him crashing to the ground. The impact made his arm scream, seeing as he landed on the bullet wound. A short shout escaped his mouth and he quickly covered it with his hand, hoping nobody had heard him. He heard nothing from outside the door and sighed in relief.

 

He looked down at his ankle to see that someone had taken the time to roll up his pants leg to carefully bandage his ankle. His foot was bare and he saw the bruised swelling peeking from under the gauze. He must have sprained it during the fall. There was a gauze pad stuck to his face from when the bullet grazed him before. Keith was lucky to get away with what he had.

 

He couldn’t imagine what happened to Shiro.

 

No, he couldn’t think like that. He needed to find him.

 

Keith pushed himself off the wooden floor, the world tilting as he forced himself up. Standing was difficult, but if he kept off his sprained ankle, he should be fine. His movements were sluggish as he opened the door, breathing getting increasingly more difficult. It felt like his airways were tighter than before, like he was trying to breathe through a coffee straw.

 

The door led into an open area, almost like a living room with a permanent smell of cinnamon hovering in the air. There was a tall archway leading into another room which Keith guessed was the kitchen. In the living room was a plush couch pushed against the wall, a small table next to it with a bookshelf on the other side. Books were messily piled onto the shelves, some brand new while others were worn and falling at the seams. An overstuffed velvet chair was in the corner, a single book carelessly thrown in the seat. There was a lamp next to the chair, looming over it. A large rug was in the center of the room, a rectangle with delicate red and gold patterns weaved into it.

 

It felt… Homey.

 

Keith shook his head. He was getting distracted. The longer he waited, the more possible danger Shiro could be in. He took another step forward, using the wall as a support every time he stumbled. There were more rooms beyond this one, so he should check in those before moving on.

 

He stopped when he stepped on something soft and… fluffy? Lifting his bare foot, he saw a singular brown feather on the floor, no longer than his pointer finger. How did this get here? Keith bent down to pick it up when he suddenly heard something outside.

 

It sounded like… Wings flapping.

 

“Jeez, I can’t believe you!” one voice said, boyish and high.

 

“Well, what did you want me to do? Leave them out there to die?” Another voice spoke, this one sounded deeper and soft, despite the exasperated tone.

 

It seemed like there was only two of them judging from the amount of noise they made. It sounded like they had come in from the kitchen, so that must be the entrance. Keith cursed under his breath. There was no way he would be able to sneak past them, especially if he was towing Shiro behind him. Well, they could always escape out the window.

 

Keith looked at his ankle. Ugh, he hoped that they weren’t high up. He hadn’t noticed any stairs yet, so maybe they were at ground level.

 

The two strangers continued to bicker with each other as Keith stumbled down the hallway, opening each door quietly only to be met with nothing. It didn’t seem like Shiro was here, all of the other rooms were empty.

 

Keith was starting to panic. Shit, where was he? What did these guys do with him? He needed to escape this place and find him. He wouldn’t lose Shiro a second time.

 

His hand slid down to his hips, only to find that his knife wasn’t in its usual spot. Damn, those guys had taken it from him while he was sleeping. His options were dwindling down to almost nothing.

 

Well, there were always the windows .

 

Creeping back down the hallway, he entered back through the living room, trying to sneak his way back into the room he woke up in. He was swelteringly hot, stopping for just a second to press his forehead to the wall.

 

The two men sounded like they were in the kitchen still. Cookware banged against each other and their conversation seemed a lot more casual than the squabbling from before. The smell coming from in there was mouthwatering, making Keith overly aware of how hungry he was. His stomach churned, begging for nourishment.

 

He pushed it down, gritting his teeth. He couldn’t stop, not without getting caught.

 

Keith slipped back into the room, wiping off the sheen of sweat from his forehead. It felt like someone had stuffed his head with cotton and he felt detached like he was floating. But he didn’t stop. He limped to the window, opening the lime green curtains with a harsh tug to see that it was now dark outside. He quickly opened the window, a breeze carrying through.

 

The window creaked. Loudly. He heard footsteps outside the door. Shit.

 

He quickly hoisted a leg out of the window without looking, gasping in fear when he actually looked over. They were high up in the air. Extremely high up. Like, a house built in a tall ass tree kind of high up.

 

The ground spun below him, making him even dizzier. The grogginess made it hard to focus and he felt himself start to tip over to the side, gravity about to pull him down once again.

 

“Man, stupid ass gravity,” Keith mumbled to himself, his eyes close to slipping shut. His stomach felt sick.

 

There was a loud yelp behind him. “Dear gods, what are you doing?!” Oh, it was the high-pitched boy. Keith didn’t bother to turn his head, letting himself go with the momentum, too tired to fight back against it.

 

His other leg was just about to slip over the windowsill when two hands gripped his broken ankle. Keith gasped in pain, his body automatically struggling to get free, but the hold was unbreakable. Nails were digging into his skin, drawing blood.

 

“What the  _ fuck _ is wrong with you?!”

 

Now wide awake and filled with adrenaline, he looked up to see a tan boy leaning out of the window, his chest heaving. His chocolate brown locks were messy and untamed. His eyes here a deep blue, the color of the ocean. But the most shocking detail was…

 

This guy had  _ wings _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith, you best be appreciative that your ass was saved TWICE.


	3. Arc I Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome, boys and girls. In today's episode, y'all get to greet Lance in person. You're welcome. Also, sorry. Warning for mentions of blood and all that nasty stuff. It gets somewhat graphic.
> 
> As always, enjoy!

To say Lance was worried when Hunk was still gone late in the afternoon was an understatement. Hunting was easy for him and it never lasted past noon. When Lance didn’t find a happy Hunk humming to himself in the kitchen after he woke up, he flew into panic-mode.

 

No pun intended.

 

Now to say he was terrified when Hunk finally came back home covered in blood and carrying two strangers was even  _ more _ of an understatement.

 

“Holy crow!” Lance screamed. He leaped out of his overstuffed chair in the living room, tossing the book he was reading in the seat carelessly. He threw himself at Hunk, ignoring the two people he was carrying and automatically checking for any injury on his nestmate. Lance grabbed Hunk’s face, turning his jaw side to side. There was so much blood on Hunk’s shirt he might as well have bathed in it.

 

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you? What happened out there?!” Lance shot question after question like a worried wife.

 

Hunk’s gasped for air, out of breath from traveling so far in a single day, especially while carrying two passengers. His wings felt like they were going to fall off his back. “Lance,” he wheezed, waving the hand supporting the smaller person. “I’m fine, promise. None of this is mine.”

 

Lance gave him a horrified look, letting go of Hunk’s face and switching his gaze to the two strangers. “Who are these people? They look like they’re roadkill already. What species are they exactly? Fae? No, nymphs maybe?”

 

Hunk avoided Lance’s eyes, not looking forward to his reaction when the other found out. He knew how much Lance hated humans. “I found them injured near the border. This one has lost a lot of blood already so I need you to find some bandages quickly,” Hunk said pointing at the scarred human, dodging Lance’s question.

 

The other nodded, apparently losing interest in his question a nyway. It was always pretty easy to distract Lance. “Aye aye, captain,” he said, playfully making light of situation before racing off to find their medkit.

 

Hunk worked fast, quickly putting the smaller human down in the living room, not having anywhere else convenient to put him. With that one out of the way, he had to somehow keep the bigger human alive.

 

Quickly moving everything from off their table, he gently laid the man down, gagging as the stench of fresh blood hit him full force. The man was frighteningly pale, even more so now than he was when Hunk found him. The bandages on his mutilated arm were startling to unwrap themselves, peeking at the messy gore beneath them. It made Hunk feel sick and he quickly covered it back up, his hands sticky with blood. Good gods, there was so much.

 

It was pointless for him to do that. He knew that the bandages would have to be removed soon, but he wasn’t prepared to see just how bad the damage was. What if he couldn’t fix it? What if the human died here, bleeding out on his kitchen table...

 

“Lance, did you find it yet?” Hunk yelled, the panic starting to hit him hard. It was like anxiety had socked him in the stomach with no warning signal. There was no way for him to disassociate himself out of this situation when he had to focus. He couldn’t panic.

 

“No, not yet! I thought it was in the- Oh, wait. Nevermind, found it!” Lance called too cheerfully from down the hall.

 

“Hurry, he’s still bleeding!” Hunk yelled, grabbing a dish towel and pressing it against the stub of an arm, still not moving the bandages out of the way. The man writhed, his eyes flying open for just a second before shutting again.

 

Lance, seeming to have finally understood the urgency of the situation, came barreling into the room, holding the white box over his head. “Here,” he said seriously, opening up the kit and handing Hunk the gauze. “I’ll get a bowl of warm water and…” his eyes drifted to the bloody rag Hunk was holding, “... a better towel.”

 

While Lance was doing that, Hunk began to unwrap the already loose bandages, gagging at the smell. Someone had clearly done this out of anger, his arm ripped off mercilessly. Some skin was still hanging loosely. Blood was oozing from the stub, thick and slow. What remained of the arm was blackened with bruises, completely destroyed. The torn muscle was an angry red, crusted over and festering with days worth of infections.

 

It took everything Hunk had not to lose the contents of his stomach. His knees felt weak.

 

Lance quickly returned with water and rag, handing them to Hunk and bringing him back to reality. “You deal with him, I’ll deal with the other guy.” Lance gave him a gentle squeeze to his forearm before handing him the supplies and racing into the other room with a second roll of gauze.

 

Even though the human was not awake, Hunk combed his fingers through their sweaty hair to try and soothe them. “It’s okay,” he cooed softly, gently dabbing the pus-filled flesh, “Just stay calm for me.” The man gasped in his sleep, tears slipping out from under his eyelids. The stub jerked as if the man was trying to slap his hand away.

 

Hunk continued to clean the wound, the rag sticky from the amount of blood and pus it had collected.

 

The blood had finally clotted, only the smallest amount seeping through. This would have been reassuring if the human had not lost so much blood beforehand. Quickly patting the stub dry, he grabbed the gauze and carefully wrapped it around the stub. One more second looking at it and he might have thrown up. The kitchen  _ reeked _ of copper.

 

Hunk looked down at the man, frowning. He still looked awful, completely soaked with sweat, dirt, tears, and probably more. His skin was still a ghostly white, his earlier gasps now nothing more than short puffs of shallow breathing.

 

Oh shit, he might have lost  _ too _ much blood.

 

Hunk quickly reached for the man’s intact arm, feeling the wrist for any pulse. When he finally found it, he cursed under his breath. It was  _ way _ too weak to be normal, not to mention his skin felt like ice. They would need an actual doctor if this guy was going to survive. Hell, it would take a miracle…

 

Hunk knew who to take him to.

 

“Lance!”

 

Lance came barreling into the kitchen, almost tripping over his own feet and flapping his wings to steady himself. “Yeah? What is it? What’d’ja need help with?”

 

“Did you finish helping the other guy?”

 

“Oh, yeah, I did. He kept struggling in his sleep so it was kind of hard to help him. He had a few bullet grazes which I cleaned up no problem. Oh, and his ankle is twisted too. Other than that, he only had a few scratches. Nothing I couldn’t handle, you know me. But man, what did these dudes do? I mean, if you hadn’t found them they would probably be dead-”

 

“Lance.”

 

“Oh, yeah, sorry. I started rambling.”

 

“It’s fine, but this guy isn’t,” Hunk said, gesturing to the bigger human. “He’s lost too much blood. We need to take him to Allura or he really will die.”

 

Lance hissed through his teeth. “Well damn, okay. Give me a second, I’ll be right there,” he said before dashing down the hallway.

 

Hunk scooped the man up into his arms, carrying him bridal style. The man made no noise, which was more concerning than if he had. He walked out of the kitchen to the balcony outside, unfolding his wings from his back and stretching. Ugh, all this flying today was making him sore. He needed to get out more.

 

Lance ran out to the balcony, slightly out of breath with a satchel on his hip. “Okay, let’s go.”

 

Lance quickly unfurled his wings and was about to jump off before Hunk snagged him by the collar of his shirt. Lance choked, automatically stopping in his tracks. “What the heck, Hunk?!”

 

Hunk shook his head. “You know to stretch before traveling far, Lance. Even Allura tells you this.”

 

Lance pouted but complied. “He could die just ‘cause you made me stop to stretch,” he muttered, pouting. His wings extended out above his head, his feathers shining in the setting sun’s rays. Even though he saw them almost daily, Hunk couldn’t help but think how beautiful Lance’s wings were.

 

“Is that good enough for you?” Lance asked once he was done, his hands on his hips.

 

Hunk shrugged. “If it feels like you won’t drop out of the sky cause of cramps, then yeah. Let’s go.”

 

They both leaped off the balcony, feeling themselves fall before expanding their wings and soaring back up and over the tops of the trees. Hunk propelled himself forward, Lance not far behind.

 

Shiro shuddered in Hunk’s arms, curling into the warm body subconsciously.

 

~~~

 

By the time they came back to their nest, the sun was starting to disappear over the horizon, the forest quickly descending into darkness. Staying out after daylight was dangerous, even if they were mostly isolated from the rest of civilization.

 

Lance landed on the balcony first, his wings thumping loudly to keep himself from crashing through. Hunk joined him right after, massaging his shoulders with a groan.

 

“Jeez, I feel like my arms are going to fall off of me,” Hunk said lightheartedly. He glanced at Lance, trying to read his expression. His posture was tense, the usual signal for ‘I’m mad at you and don’t want to talk to you’. It seemed like Hunk never learned that second part.

 

“Are… Are you okay, Lance?” Hunk started, quiet and hesitant, taking a small step forward. He really did feel bad for lying to him, but he would not have helped otherwise. And where would the humans be because of that?

 

Lance whipped around to face him, the tips of his wings lashing Hunk’s cheek. It was okay, Hunk knew Lance didn’t do it intentionally. He’s too soft, no matter how hard he tries… Even if he’s stubborn as all hell.

 

“No, I’m not okay!” Lance yelled, his voice climbing two octaves. A bird flew away in the distance, startled. “How could I be when I have to find it out from Allura -not you- that we’re helping…” Lance died off, hesitating.

 

“That we’re helping  _ humans, _ ” he hissed, “Keeping one in our nest? Really? Jeez, I can’t believe you!”

 

Hunk crossed his arms. “Well, what did you want me to do? Leave them out there to die? Cause you know that’s what would have happened.”

 

Lance threw his arms out, his wings doing the same. “So what then, we just get caught with a human living with us, which you  _ know _ is illegal, and get killed by the royal guard?”

 

“You know they wouldn’t do that, Lance,” Hunk said, a pang of anxiety stabbing his gut at the thought.

 

Lance held up a finger. “They could, you don’t know.”

 

Hunk rolled his eyes, pushing past him into the kitchen and ignoring the anxiety. “You’re overreacting. Besides, you know Allura wouldn’t let that happen. She agreed to help anyway.”

 

Lance followed him, his arms crossed tightly across his chest, visibly upset. “They wouldn’t kill her. She’s the princess.”

 

“Yes, and you’re her star pupil. So, again, nothing’s going to happen. She’ll explain what happened to her dad and it’ll be okay.”

 

Lance sat down in one of the chairs, slumped over the table, drained of any energy. Hunk hesitated before walking over to him, leaning his elbows on the top of the table. He slowly reached his hand out, slowly rubbing Lance’s back just between his wings.

 

He waited for Lance to tell him to stop, but it never came. Hunk massaged circles between Lance’s shoulder blades, feeling the other melt under his hands. “I’m sorry for lying to you,” Hunk said, putting his chin on top of Lance’s head. “I know it’s hard, but please?”

 

Lance stayed silent before sighing heavily. He pushed himself up, giving Hunk a mom-look. “I’m still not okay with this, you know that right?”

 

Hunk smiled, relieved. “Yeah, I know.”

 

Lance groaned, rubbing his temples. “You’re too good-hearted. What am I going to do with you?”

 

Hunk hummed, looking around the kitchen. Yeah, they only had enough for soup tonight. He would just have to try and hunt again tomorrow. “Well,” he grabbed a pan, “You could help me make dinner? If you’re up to it, I mean.”

 

Lance stood up, sauntering to the other, his hands snaking their way to Hunk’s shoulders, his thumbs kneading into his sturdy, yet soft muscles. “I’m fine with helping, but not in the way you’re thinking.”

 

A light blush dusted Hunk’s cheeks, clearing his throat in his fist. “Well, you know I’ll never turn down a massage, especially after today.”

 

He could feel Lance pouting without looking at him.

 

They fell into a nice rhythm, Hunk softly singing as he worked, Lance occasionally joining, humming the same tune in a higher key. The soup wasn’t hard to cook, so it wasn’t long before it was bubbling and filling the room with its rich aroma.

 

Lance had given up on the massage much to Hunk’s dismay, instead resting his chin in the crook on Hunk’s shoulder. It was awfully hard for him to not to just fall asleep there, dead on his feet. His eyes were starting to slip shut when Hunk pinched his nose, cutting off his breathing.

 

Lance sputtered, his wings flapping wildly as he jolted up. Well, now he was effectively awake, and definitely not happy with Hunk’s self-glorified snickering.

 

“What was that for, you jerk?” Lance sulked, jabbing Hunk in the back.

 

“Oh,” Hunk gave the soup one last stir, “I was going to ask you to check on the… human.”

 

Lance stiffened. “Do  _ I  _ have to?” he said stiffly, nose wrinkled in disgust.

 

“Oh, come on, Lance. He’s probably not even awake yet. Besides, you weren’t complaining when you were wrapping up his ankle.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

There was a loud creak from further in the house. Lance and Hunk shared a brief glance before Lance slowly crept through the living room to investigate. His hand hesitated just before touching the doorknob. The last time he had seen a human was when… Was this one like that? Would he be different, or bloodthirsty?

 

Lance shook his head, clearing away his thoughts before slowly opening the door,

 

an embarrassingly high-pitched yelp escaping him when he looked in.

 

“Dear gods, what are you doing?!” he screeched, his hands flying to his head.

 

The raven-haired human was climbing out of the window, you know, the window that was at least 50 feet in the air. The guy already had one leg out of the windowsill, full on ready to  _ fall to his fucking death _ . He did not even turn to look at Lance before he slipped out, letting himself go down.

 

Lance propelled himself forward with a quick push of his wings, a panicked screech fueling his momentum, barely managing to grab the guy’s ankle before he was nothing but a splat of blood down on the forest floor.

 

The guy gasped in pain and immediately started to struggle, but Lance held on fast, his nails digging into his skin like hooks. “What the  _ fuck _ is wrong with you?!”

 

The raven-haired boy finally stopped struggling for just a second to meet eyes before gluing them to Lance’s wings. The boy’s jaw dropped, his eyes (what color were they? Lance couldn’t tell) the size of dinner plates. He was completely frozen and Lance watched his eyes roll into the back of his head.

 

Hunk burst into the room, pushing the door open so hard it almost flew off its hinges. His wings were spread in a threatening manner like he was read y to fight some invisible force. Lance grunted, trying to pull the human back into the room.

 

“Hunk, help me already!” Lance barked, frustrated that he could not do it alone, even while flapping his wings.

 

  
Hunk ran over, not missing a beat and quickly grabbed the human’s other ankle. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but anything was better than being dead.

 

Once the guy w asn’t dangling out of the window, Lance dropped him as if were poisonous. Hunk lifted him carefully and put him back into the bed, tucking him under the blankets.

 

Lance was still shaking from the shock, his wings shuddering behind him. “Congratulations, Hunk,” Lance panted, “You saved a suicidal human.”

 

Hunk ignored Lance’s snarky comment, brushing the human’s bangs away before gently pressing the back of his hand to his forehead. Lance? Slightly jealous of it? Never.

 

“He has a fever.” Hunk put his hands on his hips, tapping his foot in contemplation.

 

Lance sighed. “Medkit?”

 

“Medkit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, Hance brings me life. I can't wait for that sweet, sweet klunk. We will get there, don't worry.  
> Hype hype hype hype


	4. Art I Part 3

Keith was wary of Shiro at first. After all, what would this complete stranger want to do with him, a little kid? Wanted to be his friend? That didn’t make any sense, what benefit would he gain from it?

 

But, without fail, Shiro would show up every day he snuck out. It became routine for them to sit on the curb, watching the cars pass by and exchanging little to no words. Keith would say the teenager was irritating, but he never stopped going to the spot.

 

Their first real conversation happened on a bad day.

 

Keith had gotten into a fight. Some older kids were standing in the corner of the playroom whispering to each other and laughing. Keith was trying to ignore them, trying to focus on coloring his picture of a dog. He was being careful to keep inside of the lines. All of his other pictures were messy and rushed. He wanted a nice one to hang up above his bed like Tyler did. Keith’s would probably look better, too.

 

The group of kids had migrated to his table, giggling and pushing each other in Keith’s direction. Again, he tried to ignore them.

 

He noticed one of the kids whisper in another’s ear, pushing them roughly as they laughed loudly. The kid bumped into Keith’s arm, jerking his hand and leading the crayon out of the line.

 

Next thing he knew, the kid was on the ground, crying and holding his cheek. Keith’s fist stung, the crayon snapped in half in his hand.

 

Keith met the eyes of the other kids and ran just as they came for him. He made it to the stairwell before one of the older girls grabbed him by the back of the shirt and tugged him back. She forcibly made him turn around and slapped him across the face harshly, the smack resounding through the air.

 

“Learn your place!” she yelled in Keith’s face, pushing him back. He fell, expecting the ground to hit his back, but felt his stomach drop. He tumbled down the stairs, each step a new blow. He finally reached the bottom, groaning and blearily opening his eyes to see the older kids walking away.

 

Keith crawled onto his feet and ran as far away from the orphanage as he could.

 

He ran until he didn’t recognize the streets anymore. He was lost, so lost. Left became his right and he couldn’t think. The only thing he knew was the burning in his legs, the pounding of his heart, the numbness in his head.

 

Hot tears slipped down his face.

 

Keith was not watching where he was going, so he did not see the person turning the corner until he ran into them, barreling his head into their stomach. Both of them had tumbled over, the other person groaning.

 

He shot up to his feet. “I’m sorry!” he yelled, wiping away the tears from his face before the other person could see them.

 

The person pushed themselves up off the ground, fingers threading through a familiar tuft of hair. They looked up and saw Keith, a small smile on their face quickly changing to a concerned frown.

 

He had run into Shiro. Of course.

 

Keith automatically scowled, crossing his arms and turning away. He didn’t want to see or talk to anyone, let alone this guy. Said guy was now standing up, dusting the dirt from off his pants.

 

Shiro crouched down eye-level to Keith. He did nothing but keep a steady, small smile on his face. Keith still avoided eye contact, finding the ground particularly interesting at the moment.

 

“So,” Shiro said, looking away at the trees on the other side of the street. “Are we just going to stand here or are you going to tell me what happened?”

 

“Why should I tell you?” Keith yelled, finally looking up, curling his small hands into fists at his sides. “I don’t even know you! Besides, nothing happened.” He was lying.

 

“Then how did you get that?”

 

Keith furrowed his brow. “Get what?”

 

Shiro tapped a single finger on the side of his own cheek, still turned away from Keith. “Your cheek is swollen, you know.”

 

Keith touched his own cheek, hissing at the pain he felt. He whined, curling his hands again. “What do you care? So what?”

 

Shiro finally looked at Keith, making him uncomfortable with the sustained eye contact. “Well, it’s not very often I see you show emotion, let alone crying.” Keith furiously swiped at his eyes again. Shiro waited patiently. “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

Tears were bubbling in Keith’s eyes again, not used to this. “No,” he said while looking at the ground, his voice quiet.

 

“That’s okay,” Shiro said, gentling patting the top of Keith’s head, “You can talk to me when you’re ready. I won’t force you to do anything.”

 

Shiro stood up and sat down on the curb he was walking around just a minute ago. Keith hesitated before sitting beside him, just a little closer than he had before.

 

~~~

 

Keith woke up with a distinct sense of deja vu.

 

He was in the same green room as before, but it was brighter. Was it daytime? His thoughts were scrambled and it was hard to think. It was like somebody had stuffed his head full of cotton. His arm was aching.

 

He sat up with a groan, pushing back his grimy hair with his hand. Everything hurt. He looked over and saw that the door was wide open now, perfect for escape.

 

Keith swung his feet over the bed (wow, the deja vu was getting stronger), gingerly standing on his sprained ankle. He quickly ran out of the room, only to be attacked once he came out.

 

Somebody grabbed him around the middle, causing Keith to let out a  _ very _ manly screech and deliver a sharp elbow to the attacker’s face. They let them go, sending him crashing to the ground. Keith pushed himself up, his vision swimming. Looking up, there was a boy clutching his nose and stamping his feet on the ground, muffling a yell in his hands.

 

“Frickin’ a!” the person yelled, moving his hands to reveal a bloody nose. “What the hell, man?”

 

Oh  _ shit, _ it was the guy who he saw last night. He looked over their shoulder and yep, there were his wings folded on his back.

 

“How the- How do you…?” Keith couldn’t speak, his words caught in his throat. What does one say in this kind of a situation? Oh, hello. How exactly did you manage to defy the laws of nature and sprout a pair of wings from your back?

 

There was no way this wasn’t a dream.

 

The guy seemed to be ignoring him, focusing on his bleeding nose. “Jeez, you got me good. I didn’t think you would be  _ that _ strong. Like, you look like you’re a twig, but you pack quite the punch.”

 

Keith was still at a loss, sitting dumbly on the ground with his mouth open.

 

“Oh, right.” The winged man stuck out a hand, Keith taking it and allowing himself to be helped up, hissing when he bumped his ankle. Once he was up, the guy pointed double finger-guns at him, winking slyly. “The name’s Lance. Yours?”

 

Keith scowled at Lance’s hands, slapping them away. “I don’t have time for this,” Keith watched the other’s (Lance was it?) wings bristle, “What did you do with Shiro? Where is he?”

 

Lance stuck out his lips, tapping his chin with a single finger. “Was that the dude you were with? Shiro, huh? Fits I guess-” He was cut off when Keith pinned him against the wall, his forearm pressing against his throat.

 

“Don’t play games with me. Where. Is. He.” Keith grit out, pointing each word. Lance showed no fear against the wall, a single trickle of blood flowing over his lips and dripping off his chin. He maintained eye contact, his gaze never wavering.

 

Without warning, he gave Keith a swift punch to the gut to get him off. Keith felt the air leave his lungs, hunching over and clutching at his stomach, wobbling dangerously. He heard Lance sigh, watching as he crossed his arms loosely.

 

“You’re really hostile, you know that?”

 

Keith straightened up, dangerously unsteady on his feet. “Shiro…” he gasped, still holding his middle. His mind was still foggy. “Where is he?”

 

Lance stepped forward, placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder to steady him, holding on when he tried throwing him off. “Whoa there, soldier,” Lance said. “Let’s check your temperature real fast, mullet.”

 

“I don’t have a-” Keith lost his breath for a second time when Lance came close. He pressed his forehead against Keith’s own, their noses barely brushing together. Up close, he could count every eyelash, every freckle on his nose, holy crap, holy crap,  _ holy crap _ -

 

After what felt like years, Lance pulled away. Keith could feel the blush staining his entire face ruby red and he was still choking on his own words. He barely registered Lance clicking his tongue.

 

“Yep, you still have a fever. Back into bed you go,” Lance said, tugging him by the wrist. Keith pulled it away, teetering.

 

“Get your hands off of me. Tell me where Shiro is.”

 

“Christ, what are you, a broken record?” Lance rolled his eyes. “Just go lay down on the couch and shut up. Then I’ll tell you once it doesn’t look like you’re about to collapse.”

 

Keith hesitated before relu ctantly following orders, scowling as he limped to the couch, sitting down with a huff. Lance followed behind him, watching his every step.

 

Keith stared at Lance, waiting. The other raised a single eyebrow, a knowing smirk on his face. Jesus, how many times was Keith going to have to say it?

 

“Where is he?”

 

“Hmm?” Lance feigned ignorance. “Who are you talking about?”

 

Keith grit his teeth, biting back a growl. God, he did not like this asshole. “What the fuck did you do with Shiro, fucker.”

 

Lance wagged his finger condescendingly. “Now, now, is that any way to speak to your host?” Keith remained silent, refusing to repeat himself again. Lance huffed, taking a seat in the overstuffed chair, leaning over the armrest.

 

“You two were found bleeding out on the forest floor yesterday over by the old hunting grounds. We wrapped you up fine, but your friend wasn’t faring too well. We had to take him to Allura so that he could be healed. But there were some… complications. So he’s with her for now.”

 

Okay… Keith understood about half of that. He had no idea where the hunting grounds were or who Allura was, but he knew enough.

 

He stood on his feet, earning himself a glare from Lance. “Give me back my knife and take me to him.”

 

Lance huffed a laugh, Keith’s eyes drawn to the movement of his wings. “Who do you think you are, giving me orders? Besides, you really think you’re going to be able to make it there in the condition you’re in?”

 

“I’ll be fine.”

 

“You can barely stand and you have a fever. Not to mention half the time I look at you your eyes are glossed over like a dead fish. You’ll never make it, even with our help.”

 

Keith growled, taking a threatening step forward. “I don’t need your help. I’ll be fine on my own.”

 

Lance stood angrily, his wings flaring out with a snap, knocking over the lamp. He sneered at Keith. “The only reason you and your friend aren’t corpses is because my nestmate took pity on you.” Lance took his own step forward, Keith stepping back. “And the only reason I haven’t thrown you from off the balcony is because my nestmate basically pleaded me not to. If not for him, you would be dead by  _ my  _ hand.”

 

He was now looming over Keith, his wings folded back once more. “So you will listen to me, and then you will see your Shiro.”

 

Keith held his tongue, glaring at Lance with every ounce of anger he had. In the end, he stiffly nodded his head. Lance nodded his back.

 

“Good. Now sit down, Hunk should be back soon.”

 

He plopped down on the couch, sinking into the cushions. Hunk? Who was that? Is he the nestmate that Lance mentioned? God, he hoped that he wasn’t like Lance or he might just jump off the balcony himself.

 

They sat in awkward silence in the living room, the only sound being the occasional page turn as Lance read his book. Keith felt out of place, the cinnamon smell making his head hurt and his nose itch. The couch was soft, so that was a small bonus.

 

Keith laid his head on one of the throw pillows, crossing his arms with a huff and staring up at the ceiling. His stomach was in knots thinking about Shiro. He wasn’t faring well before the fall, had something else happened to him on the way down? But Shiro wasn’t dead, thank God. Lance hadn’t gone into very many details, which made Keith feel… Unsettled. He wanted to know more, but he would rather cut off his own tongue than ask again.

 

Speaking of cutting, what the actual fuck did they do with his knife? That was another reason why he felt so uncomfortable, he didn’t have the heavy metal hanging from his belt. Lance probably wouldn’t be giving it back to him any time soon, especially after the stunt he pulled.

 

Keith sighed, running his hands through his hair, wincing when it got caught in knots. He was usually fine without showering for a few days, but even he had his limits.

 

Keith snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a loud thump from outside. Both he and Lance perked up, his head swimming from how fast he sat up. Lance abandoned his book, throwing it aside and sprinting into the kitchen.

 

Curious, Keith slowly pulled himself up, careful with his ankle. Was that who Lance was talking about? Hunk?

 

He managed to get into the kitchen, pushing the door open and getting a rush of fresh air. Out on the balcony stood Lance next to a bigger, darker man. His wings were outspread, colored a warm, rich brown that slowly faded to a creamy white. Even from a distance, Keith could tell they were strong and powerful, but also beautifully mesmerizing. Or maybe he was just saying that because it was so  _ new  _ to him.

 

It was still hard to believe that this was actually happening. Maybe he really just died and this is some sort of hellish heaven with rude angels.

 

Keith watched Lance and Hunk (?) embrace each other, whispering something to each other with warm smiles. They must be close then. Not brothers, they were too different to be related. Lance’s wings were a soft copper brown with white and black specks, the flight feathers lined in black. Hunk’s were more simplistic than his, not to say they weren’t as fascinating.

 

They finally pulled away from each other when he locked eyes with Hunk, making Keith jolt in surprise. His eyes were big and warm, colored a honey brown. It was a sharp contrast to Lance’s, whose, while beautifully colored, were cold and unwelcoming.

 

Hunk look surprised. “What are you doing out of bed?! You’re still sick!” He turned to Lance, hitting him softly on the head. “I told you to keep him in the guest room, what happened to that?”

 

Lance pouted, hitting Hunk back. “It’s not my fault! He tried sneaking out and then attacked me! Do you see my nose? Look what he did to my face!”

 

Hunk’s eyebrows raised, noticing how red Lance’s nose was, slightly swollen. “Damn, he got you good…” He patted Lance on the shoulder. “You should be fine though.”

 

Lance squawked loudly, hurting Keith’s head. “Traitor!”

 

Keith snickered, drawing the other two’s attention back to him. He looked to Hunk, who gave him a kind smile.

 

“You go ahead and go back to your room, I’m making lunch shortly.”

 

Keith wanted to protest but fell short. He walked back through the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind him.

 

Hunk sighed, shaking his head. “I’m gone and you already manage to get on his bad side?”

 

Lance scowled. “You’re thinking of it the other way around. He’s on  _ my _ bad side.”

 

“Same thing,” Hunk waved him off.

 

Lance punched him in the arm lightly. He looked around Hunk, humming to himself. “Still not able to find anything?”

 

Hunk’s carefree expression faded, quickly replaced with that of worry. Lance watched his bottom lip get caught in his teeth. Oh, not a good sign. He quickly reached out, putting a hand on Hunk’s forearm.

 

“The only thing I managed to find was a family of rabbits, and you know I couldn’t shoot them down.”

 

Lance nodded, rubbing his fingers soothingly on Hunk’s skin. “Hey, it’s okay.” Lance reached up to caress Hunk’s jaw. “Look at me, it’s alright. We can get the meat from town, it’s no big deal.”

 

Hunk sighed, grabbing Lance’s hand and lowering from his face.  “You know we can’t afford that.”

 

“Well…” Lance faltered, biting his thumb, “Maybe I could help you hunt? I’m a bit rusty, but I can still help!”

 

Hunk shook his head. “Normally I’d let you, don’t get me wrong, but…” He looked over Lance’s shoulder at the kitchen door. “We have a patient in our household if you don’t remember.”

 

Lance wrinkled his nose. “Gods, why can’t I just ditch him? I’d much rather be with you instead.”

 

“Remember what happened last time we left him unattended?”

 

“... All too well.”

 

Hunk nodded. “And that’s why you have to stay with him.” He clapped his hands together. “So! Did you learn anything about him? What’s his name.”

 

Lance opened his mouth but quickly closed it. “Uh, his name is… His name…” He placed his face in his hands. “Ugh, I totally forgot about that.”

 

Hunk laughed. “Wow, what way to make friends.”

 

Lance held up a finger. “May I remind you that he ruined my perfect face?”

 

Without missing a beat, Hunk leaned forward and planted a kiss on Lance’s aching n ose. When he pulled away, there was a dopey smile and light blush on the other’s face. “There, all better?” he said with a smirk.

 

“Yep,” Lance said dreamily, ending with a pop.

 

“Good, now you’re going to help me make lunch and then we’re going to have a small chat with our friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I can say without a doubt that writing the Keith and Shiro bonding thing is so fun. But of course, I gotta return to the main story, duh. 
> 
> Thank you for making it this far, means a whole lot to me. I know it seems like there's a lot of exposition here, but that'll change, promise. Then again, with what's coming, you might want it not to. Whatever floats your boat.
> 
> Once again, thanks! <3


	5. Arc I Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro, what's good?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay we finally get to see what happened to Shiro! You probably won't like it though!!!

“So, who is this exactly?”

 

Allura peered down at the person on the table curiously, noting the white hair and scars. She had never seen him before and she knew almost everyone. Being the Altean princess will do that to you. But this man rang no bells. It made her feathers ruffle and her stomach feel uneasy.

 

Hunk gave a frustrated sigh, close to tearing his hair out. “Does it matter?! Help him, he’s literally seconds from death!”

 

Allura gave a quick flick of her wrist, effectively shutting his mouth. “Quiet. I can’t exactly do anything if you’re screaming in my ear. Go sit in the other room with Coran while I work.”

 

He crossed his arms, but complied, walking out of the room after giving Lance a small glare, to which the other stuck his tongue out. “Oh be quiet, Hunk. The dude will be alright.”

 

The door closed shut, leaving the room quiet except for the swooshing of Lance’s legs as he kicked them in the air. “So, what’cha gonna do to him? Potion?”

 

Allura hummed to herself, observing the man laid out on the table. He was barely breathing, so she needed to act quickly. “Yes, more than likely. I just… Can’t seem to figure out what he is. I’ve never seen him before.”

 

Lance shrugged. “I dunno. Hunk said he found him near the border. What they were doing over there seems pretty sketchy to me, you think?”

 

“That is unusual, hardly anyone goes over there.”

 

“Right?” Lance was playing with the ends of his hair, kicking the stool he was sitting on. “If Hunk wasn’t there, they would probably be dead. Speaking of, you better do something before that one really does die.”

 

Allura snapped back into focus. “Oh! Right! Hold on, I’ll need to scan his aura. It’s been a while though, so let’s hope I’m right.”

 

Lance watched closely, taking mental notes for later. What looked like a pink cloud of mist surrounded Allura’s hand and she placed it over the person’s chest, the glow soon surrounding him. Her eyes were closed in concentration and Lance was careful to stay quiet so she could focus.

 

Seconds later, she ripped her hand away with a small squeak and clutched it to her chest, her eyes wide with shock. Lance cocked his head to the side.

 

“What is it? Did’ja find out what he is?”

 

Allura looked at him, something hidden in her eyes. She was fiddling with her fingers, seemingly nervous about something. “Yes, you see…”  She kept glancing around the room, not meeting Lance. “Could you go to my potions cabinet? I need the dark purple bottle at the top in the very back.”

 

Lance hopped off his stool with a huff. “I don’t see why you need me to get it. You know where everything is in there, but it looks like a mess to me!”

 

He missed the way Allura bit her bottom lip. “Just do it, Lance.”

 

He rolled his eyes as he opened up the cabinet, standing on the tips of his toes to reach the top shelf. “Well sorry if I don’t get your organization system. Looks like your whole room blew up.”

 

“Don’t insult my methods, I am your teacher,” she muttered, dabbing a damp cloth on the patient’s forehead.

 

“Yes, yes, sensei,” Lance mocked as he grabbed what he thought was the correct bottle. He held it up. “This the one?”

 

Allura hesitated before nodding. “Y-Yes. It has been a while since I’ve used it. Did…” She paused, her hands fiddling together again. “Did you read the label?”

 

“What does that have to do anything-” Lance’s wings twitched and his whole body went stiff. He could feel the blood drain from his face as he slowly looked up, his gaze fixated on the… the…

 

_ Human _

 

_ Use in small doses to treat injury for Homo Sapiens only. Dosage is as follows… _

 

“Allura, please tell me you’re…”

 

She was biting her lip again and she slowly shook her head. “He is a human, Lance. But this doesn’t change the fact that he needs help.” She took the bottle from him, opening it with a squeak of cork. “I will give you the option to sit out of this lesson if you need.”

 

Lance looked down at the man, whose breaths came in short pants and was the definition of pitiful. But if you looked past all of that, he was strong. These were the marks of a warrior, a fighter. Was this the same man who killed…?

 

No, no. That hunter’s face was permanently etched in his mind. This wasn’t him.

 

He nodded stiffly. “I’ll do it.”

 

All of the tension seeped out of Allura’s body. “Good, your magic will be useful for this particular task. Do you know what to do?”

 

“Already ahead of you,” Lance mumbled, turning around and drawing his hand in an upward motion. From in the corner of the room, water rose out from a bowl, wobbling in the air. It traveled close to Lance, droplets of water falling messily to the floor.

 

“Remember your training, Lance,” Allura said, observing her student as she poured the potion over her hands. “Focus harder.”

 

Lance grit his teeth, desperately trying to keep the warping stream of water from spilling. It made it into his hands where he packed it into a large sphere, constantly moving his hands to keep it together.

 

Before he could lose control, he transferred the sphere to the human’s mutilated arm. Excess blood made its way into the water, making Lance queasy.

 

“Don’t lose it now, you’re doing fine.” Allura was giving him words of encouragement as she began her own magic, her hands effectively covered with a thin layer of the purple potion. Her hands began to glow like they did before, but the cloud was the color of the potion instead of her normal pink.

 

Lance nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He closed his eyes and looked inside himself for the familiar warmth.  _ There,  _ he thought. He reached out for his magic, closing his mind around it and channeling it to his hands.

 

The water began to glow bright blue with the col or of Lance’s magic. Working with his hands, he pulled and swirled the water, slowly mending the wound. His brows were taut as he healed. He had never worked on an injury this large or serious before. He had only fixed the occasional scratch Hunk got from hunting.

 

Both of them literally worked their magic. Allura used her hands to rub in the magic, keeping the human stable and washing away the sickness and pain. Both were silent with concentration.

 

Lance felt drained not long after he started. He lost track of time, completely focused on healing. The skin was cleaner now and the muscle was a healthy red, all black burns and infections erased. He changed the dirty, bloody water and drew a fresh bubble to himself to start again. The process was mind-numbing.

 

He knew he was overexerting himself by doing this for so long. He knew that Allura told him not to do it again, but… He also didn’t want to stop.

 

The water was so warm and soothing and he willingly let himself flow into the current, moving his arms with it. It felt like home, it felt right. Once he got a taste of it, he was easily addicted. The magic was so powerful it could swallow him whole without an ounce of effort. He was drowning in the energy. His body tingled as it coursed through his being, filling his lungs and…

 

His eyesight was getting spotty…

 

“Lance!”

 

Lance’s eyes snapped back open and the sensation was gone. He ripped his hands away from the human and the water dropped to the ground with a splash. His chest heaved and he dissolved into a fit of coughs. He covered his mouth and when he pulled away, a residue of his magic there on his palm, a translucent blue fluid.

 

Allura’s hand rested on his back, now clean of the potion after it was all transferred to the human. “Are you alright? I’m sorry, maybe this was too much to ask of you…”

 

“No, no, I’m fine,” Lance wheezed, rubbing his neck. “I just… Lost track.”

 

Allura gave him a knowing look. “Of time or yourself?”

 

Lance stuck out his tongue playfully, sugarcoating the situation. “Maybe a bit of both.”

 

She shook her head. “Your magic is a tricky thing, remember that. Yours is very hard to control because of your genetics. Not to mention that you’re practically overflowing with it.”

 

“Pun-intended?”

 

Allura scoffed, covering her laugh. “You wish. Now…”

 

They looked back at the human. His breathing was calmer now, each breath no longer sounding like his last. The sweat was wiped from his skin by Allura and his skin was still pale but had a healthier glow to it. Most importantly, his arm…

 

His arm was still bruised, but not as severely as before. The wound was closed for the most part, but it wasn’t pretty. Scar tissue was thick and had a strange purple tint to it that didn’t seem natural. It could be the amount of bruising, though.

 

Allura touched Lance’s shoulder. “You did well, I’m impressed. The rest can be fixed with bandages and disinfectant. I’ll overlook you working yourself too hard… This time.”

 

Lance wasn’t happy with his work. They finished up with the bandaging and collectively sighed once they were done.

 

“So what do we do with him now?” Lance asked, sitting ontop his stool again. He wasn’t swinging his legs this time, instead crossing them tightly.

 

“Well…” She looked at the man, a troubled look on his face. “I suppose he could stay here?”

 

Lance squawked, his wings opening slightly. “What do you mean?! A princess harboring a human? Allura, you know that illegal! What would your dad do? What if it got public?”

 

Allura crossed her arms. “I do a lot of illegal things that my dad doesn’t know about.”

 

“... Are you sure you should be telling me that?”

 

She swiped her hand. “That’s beside the point. What I’m saying is that certain rules can be bent when it comes to me. I’ll talk with my father and this will be kept from the public, simple as that.”

 

Lance was skeptical, but trusted his mentor. However reluctant. “If you’re sure, then okay.”

 

She sent a smile his way. “Thank you, Lance. Now, shall I see you out?”

 

They both walked out to where Hunk and Coran were, the two of them sipping on tea and listening to a small radio on the coffee table.

 

“Lance!” Hunk turned the radio down and jumped up from his chair. “How did it go? Is the guy okay?”

 

Lance scowled, brushing off Hunk’s affectionate hands. “He’s okay. There’s no need to worry.”

 

A pang of regret shot through his chest when he saw Hunk’s confused face, but he kept up his attitude. No puppy dog looks were making him apologize first.

 

“Why, you two look absolutely exhausted!” Coran piped up, setting his cup down on the table.

 

“Yes, healing him was quite tiring. I daresay that if Lance hadn’t helped, I might not have been ab le to do it.”

 

Coran clapped Lance on the back. “There we go! All of that hard work paid off, yeah?”

 

Lance nodded, putting on a fake smile for the moment. “Yup! Nothing that the amazing Lance can’t handle.”

 

Hunk chuckled, trying to lighten the tension between the two of them. “There’s not a thing out there that can stop you, huh?”

 

He nodded, leaving the conversation where it started: dead in the dirt.

 

“Well, Lance and I talked and the human will be staying here to avoid you two getting into any trouble with the kingdom. I’ll be able to take it from here.”

 

“Well, see… About that…” Hunk scratched the back of his head nervously. “There’s actually another human.”

 

Allura was stiff before resting her forehead in her hand. “You couldn’t have mentioned this earlier?” Hunk squeaked out an apology. “Where is he now?”

 

“He’s at our nest and before we left he was still unconscious,” said Hunk.

 

Allura hummed to herself, gear turning in her head. “I… I will need time t o figure out a solution for that. For now, keep him at your nest and don’t speak of this to anyone. We don’t want this to get public.”

 

“Way ahead of you there.”

 

Lance only scowled. Human? In his nest? No thank you, sir.

 

“Now, it is getting late, isn’t it?” All of them looked out the window to see the sun dancing just above the treetops. “You two should probably start heading back.”

 

They were almost out the door when Lance stopped in his tracks. “Wait, Allura! I almost forgot!” He dug around in the satchel on his hip, fishing out a small vial of golden brown liquid. “Here is my latest assignment. Could I maybe give it to you early?”

 

Allura took it from him, inspecting it closely. “Yes, I think this batch of yours is the best I’ve seen yet. I mean, it’s been jostled so much and hasn’t exploded, so-”

 

Lance shoved her with his shoulder, his ears red as she giggled. “That was  _ one _ time.”

 

“Certainly not the last,” Allura joked. Her face turned serious as she looked at him. “I really do appreciate your help, Lance. I know how hard this is for you.”

 

He tried hard not to look back at Hunk, who was waiting patiently outside. “Thank you.”

 

Lance walked outside, his satchel now empty. He saw Hunk try to say something, but he took off from the ground before he could start. Stretches be damned.

 

~~~

 

Keith looked down at the bowl of soup in his hands, unmoving. It smelt like heaven with a nice blend of vegetables in rich broth, but he was wary of it. Carefully, he reached for the spoon at the edge and stirred it, treating it like a bomb about to explode any minute.

 

He set the spoon back. “Um… Thanks for the food?”

 

The big winged man (Hunk, he reminded himself) shot him the brightest smile he’s ever seen in his life. “I’m glad you approve! Sorry, it’s not too fresh, it’s leftovers from yesterday. And well…”

 

Ah, yes. Keith was all too knowing of how he almost fell out the window to a certain death. Hunk didn’t need to remind him.

 

“So eat up! It’ll help you with your fever. I don’t suggest you move around too much. You messed up your ankle even more yesterday, so just stay in bed for today.” Hunk turned to leave the room, but Keith caught the back of his shirt before he could.

 

“Wait,” Hunk turned around surprised. “Can you tell me what happened to Shiro?”

 

The other had a confused look on his face. “Shiro? Oh, you mean that guy you were with? Didn’t Lance tell you already? I thought he told me he did.”

 

Keith glanced to the side. “He did, but… He omitted a few details.”

 

Hunk hummed, taking a seat at the end of the bed. “I see, you wanna know more. Tell me what you know, first.”

 

“Well, you found us on the forest floor,” Hunk nodded, “And then I guess I was left here while you two took Shiro to… Alle- Allure-”

 

“Allura’s. She’s an Altean who specializes in spirit magic. She’s sometimes known as the witch doctor.”

 

Keith nodded along despite not knowing what the heck spirit magic was supposed to even _mean_. “Okay. So he’s there and I guess she healed him. But he didn’t tell me what exactly  _ happened _ to him.”

 

Hunk nodded. “I see what you mean. You want to know his injuries and all that, right?”

 

Keith nodded his head quickly, hanging on to every word.

 

“To start, he was stable when we left. Both Allura and Lance healed him up. When we first picked you two off the ground, you were relatively okay, but had lost some blood and you know, your ankle. Nothing too bad for you. Your friend on the other hand...” Hunk whistled through his teeth, “Wasn’t fairing too well.”

 

“If you’re talking about his arm, I’m already aware of that,” Keith said, swallowing the bile down. He didn’t know if they knew about the Galra, so it was best to keep that from them. Even if he didn’t know these two and thought Lance was a total dick, he wouldn’t let anyone else get hurt. Call it his secret soft side.

 

Hunk’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and he took a moment to gather himself. “Oh, so it was already like that. Were you with him when it happened or…?”

 

Keith shook his head, saying nothing.

 

The other cleared his throat. “Right, so it got infected. Badly. I mean it was absolutely disgusting and the bandages did nothing to help it and…” Hunk looked a little green in the face and shuddered. “Eugh, it was awful to clean.” He composed himself. “So his arm was fixed up, Lance healed it back. Well, not back. You know, you can’t grow limbs again but-”

 

Keith cleared his throat, stopping the rambling.

 

“Oh, sorry. He had a couple of scratches here and there that were fixed up fine, a slight fever, but lost a  _ lot _ of blood. That’s why we took him to Allura’s. He’s with her now in recovery and is perfectly fine.”

 

Keith nodded, thinking to himself. Okay, Shiro was fine. He was in a location that Keith had no idea where it was, but he trusted Hunk more than he did Lance at the moment. There was something about him that made you feel comfortable. That was probably the longest conversation he had ever had with someone besides Shiro.

 

He rubbed his hand with his thumb to calm down his nerves. “There’s not a chance you could talk me to him, is there?”

 

To Keith’s disappointment, Hunk shook his head. “Not with the condition you’re in now, no. That’d be too straining. And I’m not just talking about your ankle, you have a fever and cuts too.”

 

Keith grumbled under his breath, unhappy with the situation.

 

Hunk straightened up. “Is there any other questions you needed answered?”

 

Keith sighed, shaking his head. “No, I’m fine.”

 

The winged man delivered another blinding smile before standing up. “If you need us for anything, just holler,” he was in the doorway when he stopped to turn back. “Oh, and when you’re done, you can just set the bowl on the nightstand.”

 

And with that, the door was shut. The room was quiet, lit up only by the soft rays of sun shining through the window. Keith watched the dust particles dance in the light. It felt awkward to be alone again.

 

Alone with his thoughts, as usual.

 

But Shiro was okay. He could see him as soon as he was better. The first step was to kick this fever’s ass.

 

He looked down at the bowl of soup, now lukewarm after all the time that passed spent talking. Keith raised a spoonful to his mouth and chewed the vegetables slowly, cautiously.

 

Once deemed safe, he abandoned the spoon and took long, greedy gulps, the broth trickling out of the corner of his mouth.

 

Fuck yeah, healthiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A mellow ending. Kick that fever's ass Keithy boy!!!
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for reading. I'm going to start doing fanart to promote the story, so if you're interested, it's up on my Tumblr plumpwhump. Don't be afraid to ask questions or just talk, I'm a lonely hoe.


	6. Arc I Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith learns to trust Shiro.
> 
> Lance and Keith talk some. Lance gets to brag a bit and Keith finally learns a little bit about the freaky place he's found himself in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Sorry for not updating last week. I was at state band all day and didn't make it back until midnight RIP. I do post any updates or warnings like that on my Tumblr if you feel the need to keep up with that.
> 
> I also have been making art for chapters now! Again, you can find them on my Tumblr (pst, it's plumpwhump)

Keith and Shiro’s relationship developed slowly. There were days they were both silent and there were days Keith showed up dirty and bruised. Shiro always left it up to him whether or not he wanted to talk about it. Most times, he didn’t. But there were times he did.

 

“And then Tyler just laughs with them! He was my roommate, but now he’s a gosh darned backstabber.”

 

Shiro nodded his head, like a therapist taking notes. “So you punched him because he laughed at you with the older kids.”

 

“Yeah, cause he’s a jerk.”

 

“Well, maybe he was only laughing because he was hiding behind his insecurities. He could have just wanted to fit in with the cool kids, and so he made fun of you. Now, that doesn’t excuse what either of you did. But, if he’s mean like that again, you should probably stop hanging out with him.”

 

Maybe Shiro was a therapist. Keith was just a shitty patient who never listened, always getting into trouble for the same things on repeat.

 

The more they met, the more Keith started to trust Shiro. Now, that didn’t mean all of the wariness was gone, but it practically disappeared on one day with a single act.

 

It was another bad day for Keith. There was a new bruise on his cheek and no, Shiro, he didn’t want to talk about it. So they sat on the curb in silence while Keith picked up pebbles and threw them across the ground. It was their usual routine and nothing was abnormal until...

 

With the volume of a train, Keith’s stomach growled, begging for food. He was always bad with eating schedules, but on that particular day he couldn’t remember the last time he had an actual meal (because no, despite kid logic, stolen GoGurts were not a meal).

 

He clutched his middle, groaning as it contracted painfully. Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder, catching Keith’s attention.

 

“Hey, you okay there, bud?”

 

Keith nodded on reflex and curled his legs to his chest. “I’m fine.”

 

Shiro stood up and Keith looked at his outstretched hand. “Here, come with me.”

 

What was he supposed to do? On one hand, he sort of trusted Shiro. He never asked him to do anything he didn’t want to and overall respected him. But, Keith knew hardly anything about him. They just sat next to each other every other day and occasionally talked, that was it.

 

Would he rather go with Shiro, or go back to the orphanage?

 

He reached up and took the teen’s hand, the other grinning dow n at him. Shiro pulled him to his feet with no effort.

 

“Alright, follow me!”

 

They strolled down the sidewalk until they were on the main streets. Cars raced past, making Keith jump when they came too close.These streets were busier than he was used to. The cars seem angrier as they roared past or honked loudly.

 

Shiro said nothing other than the occasional remark and held his hand firmly. Keith found it strangely comforting and allowed it instead of pulling it back like he normally would. His eyes were glued to the ground and aimed at the rocks on his ground to kick.

 

The street continued for a while until Shiro took a sudden turn leading down one much less busy. Keith already came this far, so he held tight and followed. There were small shops on both sides and he couldn’t stop swiveling his head to look at it all, trying to take it all in. Shiro watched him silently, a happy twinkle in his eye.

 

They came to a stop in front of a cafe that was so small that you wouldn’t know it was there unless you were looking for it. Keith could smell the sweet scents through the door and his stomach growled again impatiently.

 

Shiro had one hand on the handle before he paused. “This is my friend’s dad’s cafe,” Shiro explained, looking down at him. “They’re friendly, so don’t worry. I’ll tell them you’re my cousin from out of town, you like that?”

 

Keith nodded shortly. He didn’t mind being called Shiro’s relative for the time being. He never had a cousin before… Besides, this helped him avoid answering questions, so who cares.

 

Shiro gave him a thumbs up b efore he pushed the door open, a bell tingling overhead as he did. Keith was hit with a blast of smells, his mouth watering from it all.

 

“One second! I’ll be there in a minute!” A voice called from the back.

 

“Don’t worry, Matt! It’s just me!” Shiro yelled back, a laugh in his words.

 

There was a loud, defeated sigh. “What are you doing, making me think it’s an actual customer? No, it’s just you here to hog a seat.”

 

Another young teen came out from the kitchen with a pink apron tied around his waist. His light brown eyes were soft and covered by large round glasses that magnified them to look bigger than they actually were. His hair seemed to defy gravity itself, the ends curving until they stuck straight up in the air. Even if the person seemed okay, Keith hid behind Shiro’s legs anyway.

 

“Nah, I’m just the police here to tell you that you’re too young to be working,” Shiro teased, poking his tongue out. Keith scrunched his nose as he watched. Even he didn’t do that anymore and he was nine.

 

A wet rag was thrown at Shiro’s face, resounding with a soggy slap. “I’ve told you a thousand times, fourteen-year-olds can work!”

 

Shiro laughed, throwing the rag back at the other teen, who dodged it with practiced ease. “I know, it’s just fun to see you get flustered.”

 

“Shut up, man.”

 

“Hey now,” Shiro chastisized jokingly, “Is that any way to be speaking in front of a kid?”

 

Shiro sidestepped, revealing the scrawny kid known as Keith. He yelped and attached himself behind the other’s legs, but it was already too late.

 

“Whoa! You’ve got a kid now! And you’re saying  _ I’m _ too young-”

 

“Here, can you throw me that rag again? I need to hit you with it.”

 

The other just laughed loudly. “I’d like to see you try. But who is this kiddo? Haven’t seen him around before.”

 

Keith jolted in surprise when Shiro noogied his head. “This is my little cousin visiting from out of town. His name’s Keith.”

 

The other teen waved his fingers at him. “Heya, Keith. I’m Matt.”

 

Keith simply nodded back, his eyebrows taught. He hated being put in the spotlight like that. His face grew red when his stomach growled for the third time.

 

Shiro cleared his throat. “You wouldn’t happen to have any sandwiches leftover from lunch, would you? Keith forgot to eat.”

 

Matt nodded enthusiastically. “Shiro, dude, you know we always have leftover food. Nobody even comes here since it’s so out of the way. What kind do you want?”

 

Shiro looked at Keith, expecting him to answer. “Um… Ham,” he said quietly, his answer coming out more as a question than an answer.

 

Matt snapped his fingers and winked. “You got it! Let me grab one from the back, they’re fresher than the ones up here.” Keith spotted the sandwiches on display behind the glass and wrinkled his nose. Gross.

 

A hand on his shoulder. “Do you want to sit down?”

 

Keith shrugged, removing himself from Shiro’s leg and pulling out a chair. He sank down in it, letting his feet dangle. Shiro took a seat across from him, resting his head in his hand.

 

Matt came back with a sandwich and bottled water. He came from around the counter and set it down on the top of the table. “Here you go, bud!”

 

Keith muttered a quick thanks and took one of the slices. He sniffed it before taking a tentative bite, surprised at how good it tasted. He scarfed down the rest before opening the water and gulping it down. Then he attacked the other half, missing how Shiro chuckled.

 

Matt shook his head. “Man, if only everyone else appreciated our stuff like him.”

 

Shiro patted Matt’s shoulder. “You guys will get there. Speaking of that, where is your dad? I haven’t seen him all afternoon.”

 

“Said something urgent came up,” Matt said with a shrug. “Ran out of the room in a hurry, didn’t even say where he was going. So I’m just holding down the fort until the other employees arrive for their shift.”

 

Shiro hummed to himself. “That’s weird. Maybe he’ll come back in a while. I’m sure it must have been important.”

 

Matt nodded. “I’m sure.”

 

The conversation was cut short when Shiro felt a tug on his shirt. Keith looked at him with a worried look on his face, as well as crumbs. His plate was clean and the bottle still half full. Shiro patted his head again.

 

“You ready to leave already?”

 

Keith side-eyed Matt and stood to whisper in Shiro’s ear. “How are you gonna pay him? Should I run?”

 

When he pulled back, Shiro’s eyes were wide. Keith was afraid he had said something wrong before the other sputtered and laughed. “No, no, we don’t have to do that.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled ten dollar bill. “My  _ Jiji _ gave me allowance for getting good grades last week.”

 

Shiro handed the money to Matt. “I think this is enough. We’re going to go ahead and head home, it’s getting pretty late and I need to return the kiddo home.”

 

Matt took it, nodding his head. “Yeah, don’t want to get his parents mad at you. Give me a sec, I’ll get your change.”

 

Shiro shoved the rest in his pocket and took Keith’s hand, the other one holding the bottle. They exited the shop and waved goodbye to Matt through the glass. They continued back up the sidewalk and Keith couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen next.

 

He swung the water and watched it slosh inside the plastic. Would Shiro take him home with him? No, he might be nice, but that was just weird. Were they cousins now? No, he was probably just going to take him back to the curb and he would have to walk the rest of the way in the dark.

 

They continued to walk in silence and Keith squeezed Shiro’s hand every time a car came too close. The sky slowly started to dim until the sun was just kissing the horizon, painting the clouds pink and orange.

 

Finally, Shiro came to a stop and Keith looked up from the ground. Surprisingly, they were in front of the children’s home, the large, crooked cross hanging from the wooden doors. He had never walked Keith back, so how did he know that he was...

  
“This is where you live, right?” Shiro asked, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry if I’m wrong, I just kind of assumed based on… Never mind. But I didn’t want you walking home alone since it’s almost night.”

 

When Keith looked up that time, it was like seeing a whole nother person. Suddenly there was a bond there that wasn’t before and Keith was reluctant to let go of Shiro’s hand. Eventually though, he had to.

 

Quickly, he wrapped his arms around the teen and squeezed before pulling away. “Thank you, Shiro,” he said, looking him in the eyes.

 

Unsurprisingly, Shiro was shocked. But before he could say anything back, Keith turned on his heel and raced up the orphanage steps. He paused in the doorway to turn back, looking at the dumbfounded teen on the sidewalk. The door was about to shut when he finally found his voice.

 

“Bye, Keith! See you later!”

 

Keith smiled genuinely for the first time in a long while.

 

~~~

 

Keith stayed bedridden for days and each one was like the last. Every morning, he would wake up before the sun and lay there till the room was bright. He would drift in and out of sleep constantly, his headaches and constant drowsiness forcing him to get rest. Sometimes the blankets were too much and he threw them off before slipping back to sleep, only to wake up hours later shivering violently.

 

Hunk would always show up with lunch and dinner, but Keith didn’t speak to him very much. Besides, it hurt his throat to do so anyway. He only spoke when it was necessary, for things like the bathroom.

 

The process was embarrassing because Hunk would scoop him up to make the trip easier, but it humiliated Keith to be picked up like that. The other probably figured this out and came in one day with both food and a hand-carved crutch painted with blue and gold swirls.

 

“Lance actually helped make it you know,” Hunk said from the doorway. Keith didn’t reply. As soon as the door was shut, he scarfed the soup down as quickly as he could, just like always.

 

The only thing he was ever given was soup. Not to say that it wasn’t go od, but the thick broth became nauseating after a while. But he never complained out loud and kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t an idiot and he wasn’t going to risk being thrown out. Besides, he already felt infinite times better than before and was becoming restless.

 

About a week passed until Keith was fed up with it. Not the soup, but  _ himself _ .

 

Keith woke up early as usual and waited in bed for the sun to rise, as usual. He sat up with a groan and stretched his arms up over his head. His throat was no longer scratchy and his headaches were completely gone, not to mention he didn’t feel stifling hot under his covers anymore.

 

Hunk had come in to change his bandages yesterday and all the bullet grazes and scratches were healing nicely. His ankle even felt better after staying in bed for so long, but he wasn’t going to walk without his crutch just yet.

 

The only problem he was  _ really _ facing at that moment was that he felt absolutely  _ disgusting _ . After spending days doing nothing but rolling in his dirty sheets he accumulated tons of grease. Not to mention all the sweat from his fever that still stuck to his skin, making his hair clump to the back of his neck. He was already pretty gross from running away from the Galra, but being forced into bedrest only made things worse.

 

Keith spent about and hour in bed before he couldn’t take it any longer. He grabbed the crutch leaning against the bedpost and rose to his feet, steadying himself with the wall. Once he was ready, he hobbled to the door and opened it slowly.

 

The house was quiet and more importantly, empty. Keith stepped out cautiously, the floorboards creaking beneath his feet. The familiar cinnamon scent hit him again and he breathed it in deeply. He had gotten used to the place admittedly, but he usually heard Lance and Hunk talking and laughing through the door. It wasn’t that early, was it?

 

He peered into the kitchen only to find it empty. He hummed to himself and turned around. It was already decided that he wouldn’t escape from here. They already proved that they didn’t mean him harm (Well, Hunk did. Lance was another story.) and there wasn’t a way for him to get down without dying.

 

Keith sat down in the living room and scratched his head, only to pull his hand away in pure disgust. He could feel the grease and oil caked under his nails and tried to wipe it away on his pants, only to accomplish nothing.

 

There was a bump further in the house and Keith snapped his head up in the direction it came from. He fumbled for his crutch and stood up. The noise came from further down the hallway so he slowly crept down there, listening for any other sounds.

 

He was just about to pass a door before a small crash came from behind it, along with a short curse.

 

Should he check inside? He couldn’t tell which one of them it was, but he hoped it was Hunk. He was his fa vorite of the two since he seemed to be nicer than Lance. Besides, maybe the person inside hurt themselves and needed help.

 

Keith turned the handle and opened the door and was immediately blasted with a cloud of teal smoke. He sputtered and waved his free hand in front of his face, trying not to breathe any of it in. What the heck happened in here?!

 

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were back so early,” Lance said from in the room, completely shrouded in the smoke. Keith couldn’t even see where he was because of how thick all of it was. “Sorry, I accidentally dropped something and it oxidized in, like, half a second. I’ll open up a window, hold on.”

 

There was the sound of a window sliding open and the smoke slowly started to clear out. “There we go! Do you have any cinnamon left? It smells  _ awful _ in here now.”

 

Keith stayed quiet, not knowing what to say. Was Lance talking to him? What exactly had he dropped to cause all of this?

  
Without warning, Lance emerged from the wall of teal only inches away from Keith’s face. Lance let out a girly scream and lept back, clutching his chest. His wings fluttered on his back and swirled the smoke further around the room.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?! Aren’t you supposed to be in your bed?” Lance screeched, his voice awfully high.

 

Keith grimaced. Really wished he found Hunk instead, but of course not.

 

Lance sniffed the air and gagged, pinching his nose. He turned away from Keith, one of his wings unfolding to cover the lower half of his face. “Christ, the smell isn’t this, it’s you! Jeez, have you heard of personal hygiene, bud?”

 

“I would love to take a shower, if only I knew where it was,” Keith said sarcastically with a scowl. He hadn’t even talked to the man for more than five minutes and already his nerves were on fire. Not that they weren’t already, but Lance only made them worse.

 

Lance rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “You couldn’t have asked Hunk about this?”

 

“I would love to, where is he?”

 

Lance faltered, looking to the side sheepishly. “Er, he’s not here… You’ll have to wait a bit.”

 

Keith grit his teeth, throwing his free arm out in frustration. “I can’t wait any longer, I’ve been waiting for longer than a week! Now, where is it?”

 

Lance screeched and pinched his nose again. “Alright, alright! I’ll take you there, just put your arm down!”

 

Keith let his arm drop with a huff. He would normally be insulted, but even he was aware of how bad he smelled.

 

Lance sighed, putting a hand on his hip. “Go out to the balcony, I need to finish up in here. Try not to fall again, mullet.”

 

The door was then slammed on Keith’s face. He reached up and touched the back of his neck where his hair was stuck to his skin. Mullet…? His hair was long, but it wasn’t a  _ mullet _ .

 

He waited out on the balcony for Lance to fix up the room, appreciating the fresh air. The wind blew through the trees and tousled his hair gently. He tilted his head up and felt the warmth of the sun on his face.

 

Looking out at the forest, he couldn’t help but wonder where exactly Shiro was. Keith was in unfamiliar territory, a place he hadn’t ever seen before on a map. Surely there would be talk about forests with trees taller than skyscrapers with magical flying men living in it. One word about this place and people would be all over it.

 

Instead, this place seemed to be pretty much human-free, aside from Keith and Shiro. Well, as far as he knew. Lance acted hostile towards him, was that because he was human? Or just because he didn’t like him?

 

Keith leaned against the railing and sighed, resting his head in his hand. He didn’t like not knowing all these things. Being left in the dark made him feel irritated at the unknown. But then again, he also didn’t like asking questions. Both of these problems clashed together and threw Keith into a never-ending debate.

 

He was brought back to reality when something pinched the back of his neck. He yelped and clapped a hand to it, spinning around to see Lance snickering with a devilish grin.

 

“It might have been absolutely nasty to touch your greasy-ass skin, but man, was it worth it.” Keith watched him wipe his hand off on his pants.

 

“Why exactly am I on the balcony? Wouldn’t the shower be inside?”

 

Lance tsked and shook his head. “This isn’t the only part of the nest, dummy. The shower is up there.”

 

Keith looked up to where Lance’s finger pointed but didn’t see anything. “I don’t follow you.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes dramatically and groaned. “Christ, I gotta deal with you all day now. Couldn’t have stayed in the room, could you?”

 

“Just get me up there,” Keith said, not fully knowing what going up meant.

 

Lance wrinkled his face in disgust, leaning away from Keith. “I really, really,  _ really  _ don’t wanna.”

 

Keith was starting to get very,  _ very  _ frustrated and being stuck underneath literal layers of grime did not help. He took a not-so-menacing step forward, trying to be intimidating but failing, judging by the look of disbelief on Lance’s face. “Now.”

 

The other crossed his arms. “Fine. Come here.”

 

Keith walked closer to Lance, watching his nose scrunch more and more with every step. “Now what?”

  
“Don’t freak out or anything. Besides, I’m the one suffering here.”

  
With that crappy warning, Keith was swept off his feet and into the arms of Lance. His crutch fell to the ground with a dull thunk. Keith jolted in surprise, his arms looping around Lance’s neck out of habit whenever Hunk held him.

 

“Eurgh, great, now I have to burn these clothes. Get your hair away from my face, you’re burning my nose hair.”

 

“W-What are you doing?!” Keith yelled. He could feel Lance’s arms shaking from the effort of supporting him.

 

“I’m taking you to the showers,” Lance said in a mocking voice, sticking out his tongue crudely. “Dumbass.”

 

“Isn’t there, like, a staircase or something?”

 

Keith watched Lance unfold his wings with poorly hidden awe. “Before you came here, everyone had wings. Not my fault you’re human.” He didn’t miss the way Lance spat the word human like it was a bad taste in his mouth.

 

Lance’s wings glowed in the sunlight and Keith was captivated, his eyes glued to the tips of the flight feathers that stretched high above him. They beat the air lightly as if testing the waters.

 

“Hang tight, mullet.” Lance broke into a run, his wings spread in anticipation.

 

“Wait, what are you doing-” Keith stopped mid-sentence when Lance jumped off the edge of the balcony, the two of them falling to the ground. Keith yelled, his stomach dropping straight out of his body. He clutched to Lance, digging his fingers into the other’s skin. The violent wind whipped at his face unforgivingly and Keith squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the impact.

 

Then, Lance pulled them up out of the nosedive with a single beat of his wings. The momentum propelled them upwards and Keith gasped, the breath ripped right out of his lungs.

 

With a few more flaps of his wings, they were above the house and in the higher branches of the tree. Keith kept his death grip on Lance, not fully convinced he wouldn’t drop him. With how much his arms were trembling, he might drop him even if he didn’t want to.

 

The gentle wind tousled Keith’s hair straight into Lance’s face. Lance sputtered and tried to turn his head away, absolutely mortified when some got into his mouth. “Dude, get your hair outta my face!”

 

Keith only tightened his grip. “You couldn’t pay me to let go of your scrawny ass right now!”

 

“We’re almost there, get it off!”

 

“No!”

 

Lance sped up, flapping furiously and moving with haste. Keith squeezed his eyes shut again and opened them when he felt them land on something solid.

 

“Get off me, I reek like you now,” Lance complained, gently helping Keith down. He held himself awkwardly, not used to standing without his crutch under his arm. He ended up supporting himself on Lance’s arm, favoring his better leg.

 

“What about my crutch? I kind of need that to walk.”

 

Lance dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “Pft, it’s fine, I can go get it in a minute. I’ll be faster without carrying your heavy ass.”

 

They were on top of another balcony, this one bigger and wider than the one connected to the house below. It went around the tree and was square shaped, entirely enclosed in leafy green foliage. It was flat with no walls and the only thing protecting them from a deadly fall was a wooden railing along the edge. Closer to the trunk, Keith spotted what must have been the shower which was nothing but a spigot protruding from the wood.

 

Keith raised his eyebrow, not impressed. Man, the children’s home didn’t have much, but they had better than  _ that _ . “Is that seriously your shower?”

 

Lance looked confused. “Yeah? Here, I’ll show you how it works.”

 

He helped support Keith as they came to the shower. “So here’s where the water comes out,” Lance said, pointing to the shower head, “And this is how you turn it on.” He pointed to a small knob screwed into the wood.

 

“Wait, where does the water come from?”

 

Lance’s eyes brightened and his wings perked up. “I’m glad you ask! My dearest Hunky boy designed it, of course! He made the whole water system for the house, actually,” he said. “So basically, at the very top of the tree, water is collected and stored. Then we connected tubes that transferred the water down so it could be used. As it travels it’s filtered and blah, blah, blah.”

 

Keith looked at the trunk doubtfully. “I don’t see any tubes though.”

 

Lance nodded his head. “Yeah, yeah, this is the best part! So when we were finished putting it all together, it looked like an absolute mess!” He threw his hands out dramatically. “So what we did is we called up Allura and she flew over. Then she helped make a spell that actually  _ made _ the tubes a part of the tree!”

 

“So you made the tree into a pipe system or something like that?”

 

Lance smirked, framing his face with a flair of his hand. “Or  _ something _ like that.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. He honestly didn’t care, all he wanted was to get out of these dirty clothes and wash himself. “Where’s the soap? Don’t tell me you don’t use any,” he said, intentionally jabbing at him.

 

Lance slapped a hand to his chest with aghast. “Don’t insult me with your words, mullet! You’re the one who smells like death, not me!”

 

He let go of Keith and crouched down on the floor, sliding open a secret compartment that was filled to the brim with different colors and scents of soap. “We have a variety that you can use, but don’t touch the cinnamon stuff, it belongs to Hunk.”

 

“Aye, captain,” Keith mockingly said, slowly crouching down for a bottle of shampoo. He picked one up and read the label. Junniberry? What the heck is that? He shrugged and tucked it under his arm. “Can you go away?”

 

Lance looked confused before his eyes widened in realization. Keith was sure he was imagining the flush on the other’s face. “Oh, right, yeah, sorry. I’ll just…” Lance slowly backed up, pointing downwards.

 

Keith made a shooing motion and watched Lance jump over the railing in a rush, his stomach dropping before he remembered. Right, he had wings. No need to worry. No  _ reason _ to worry about that idiot.

 

Now that he was out of the way, Keith got undressed. Peeling off his clothes was a sensation he never wanted to experience again. It was like he was shedding off a layer of skin with each garment he took off.

 

He unwrapped all of his bandages except the ones on his ankle, deciding he would deal with those later. They were piled together with his dirty clothes, away from the spigot so they wouldn’t get wet.

 

Keith shivered, his arms wrapped around himself to keep warm. It felt uncomfortably exposing to be naked outdoors, especially this high up. The leaves did some to help cover himself, but not much.

 

He reached and spun the spigot, pushing and prodding at it trying to figure out how to get warm water. Eventually, he learned that the more you turned it, the warmer the temperature.

 

Would have been nice to know that before Lance jumped over the railing, but whatever.

 

Just being underneath the running water was enough to clean away the top layer of filth. He let himself enjoy the heat for a minute, leaning against the trunk listening to the water drum against the wood before swirling down the drain. He briefly considered asking Lance where the used water went but decided he didn’t care enough for that.

 

He had just picked up the shampoo bottle when he heard the flapping of wings. He panicked and crouched down with his knees folded to his chest to cover himself, accidentally putting weight on his injured ankle. He hissed in pain, the water dripping down his face getting into his mouth.

 

There was a thump on the wood, but Lance didn’t appear in front of him. “Hey! I’m back!” Lance shouted. “I’ve got the crutc h and some old clothes you can wear! I’ll be over here!”

 

Keith let out a sigh he hadn’t realized he was holding. Looks like Lance knew what privacy was after all. He crawled his way back up using the trunk and put his head back under the water.

 

He waited until his skin was wet again before pouring the soap into his hands and wrestling with the one big knot he called his hair. Every time he tried to wash the suds out, his fingers got caught in the neverending tangles. Christ, by the time he was done he wasn’t going to have any hair left on his head.

 

The silence was unnerving, but Keith felt it would be even more awkward to start a conversation with Lance. Who starts talking to someone while they're naked?

 

Eventually, the silence became too much for him. Time to put his years of social training to the test.

 

“So,” Keith started, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and tried again. “That smoke stuff… What was that exactly?”

 

It was quiet on the other side of the trunk and for a moment, he was afraid he had overstepped, or just plain old fucked up. The impending panic was about to set in when Lance replied.

 

“It was just an old potion I made for Allura. It was one of my first ones, so it wasn’t very good. That’s why I never used it. Accidentally breaking it might have actually been a good thing,” Lance laughed. It sounded slightly forced.

 

“So you do magic?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Does Hunk do all that magic stuff too? All wing people?”

 

“Whoa, what did you say?” He heard Lance sputter and laugh. Keith’s ears flushed red at the tips. “Wing people? Jeez, we’re called Avians. And no, Hunk can’t do magic.”

 

“How come?”

 

“Get ready for the book you just cracked open, mullet. You just asked for some good ol’ Avian history.”

 

Keith wanted to groan, but his interest was peaking simultaneously.

 

“Avians come in all different types and derive from different ancestors. That’s how we got our wings because they were passed down to us at birth. Hunk’s ancestors were red tail hawks, so that’s how he got his wings. You following?”

 

Keith nodded before remembering Lance couldn’t see him. He finished scrubbing his skin and lowered himself onto the wet floorboards. “Yeah.”

 

“Okay, so there’s another type of Avians called Alteans, like Allura. Their wings aren’t traced back to any specific bird, so there’s all this big myth that they got their wings from angels. They’re also the only Avians who can use magic.”

 

Keith nodded again.

 

“Now, my  _ abuela  _ was Altean and then she met my  _ abuelo  _ who was just a regular ol’ Avian. They had a daughter who met my dad, on and on. So technically, I am at least one-fourth Altean, which usually means I don’t have enough magic to do anything.”

 

“But, I proved everyone wrong! Out of all my siblings, I’m the only one to develop magic. Allura saw my potential, we became friends, and now here I am.”

 

“That’s… Cool,” Keith said, trying to wrap his head around it. “So do you have Altean wings?”

 

Lance laughed loudly. “I wish! Nah, I got these wings from my dad’s ancestors. They were barn owls. Not to say I don’t love them, but Altean wings are really something else, I tell you.”

 

Keith tried imagining it in his head but came up with nothing. Th e water was starting to lose its warmth, but he didn’t want to get up just yet. “Do you all live here? In the forest?”

 

On the other side of the trunk, Lance shook his head. “Nah, just Hunk and I live in this part of the woods. We build our nest far away from any village or city, so nobody really bothers us out here. Well, except maybe humans like you.”

 

Keith grumbled.

 

“Nobody likes living out here since it’s not far away from the border, which scares them all off. Hunk and I liked the idea of being independent, so that’s why we came. Besides, the border is safe and keeps everything out.”

 

“Then how did I get here? And Shiro?”

 

Lance was silent for a very, very long time. The air was filled only with the sounds of the leaves rustling and the shower spitting. Keith bit his bottom lip, afraid he might have offended Lance in some way. Not that he really cared about him, but he didn’t want to be kicked out for being a dick.

 

Keith could barely hear his answer over the running water. “I don’t really know.”

 

He decided that was enough questions and stood for the knob. After struggling to turn it off, he squeezed the excess water out of his hair .

 

“Hey, could you throw me a towel or something?” Keith yelled.

 

“Compartment in the trunk, look for the knob.”

 

Keith lightly brushed his fingers over the surface of the wood, looking for any sort of knob. At the bottom where the trunk met the wood of the deck, there was a vertical bump that slid open. He grabbed one of the fluffy white towels and dried himself before tying it around his waist.

 

It wasn’t quite enough coverage to go talk to a stranger, but it would have to do for now.

 

He walked slowly around the deck, hunched on himself like it would cover his chest. He used the trunk as support as he limped. Lance was sitting with his back against the tree, his wings drooping on the ground as he played with a leaf in his hand.

 

“Hey,” Keith said awkwardly.

 

“Hey,” Lance said back, blowing the leaf away.

 

“Are you… Okay?”

 

Lance’s pouty face was wiped away in a matter of seconds. “Of course, why wouldn’t I be? Here, change into your clothes, and here’s your crutch."

 

Keith was pushed away by Lance after the stuff was dumped into his arms. “Just tell me when you’re ready to go back down.”

 

The clothes he was given were obviously someone’s old sleep clothes. They were washed out and hung off his frame, but he wasn’t one to complain. When he came back around, he had his crutch tucked under his arm and ready to be locked in bedrest again.

 

The drop wasn’t any better this time than it was the first time. He clutched to Lance again, embarrassed when he realized how it looked. The wind was so strong that it blew all the water right out of his hair. When they landed, it was only a little damp.

 

“Well…” Keith trailed off, unsure what to say. Lance seemed to be the same, his posture too stiff. “Thanks.”

 

Lance nodded. “You too.” He cursed and slapped his forehead. “You’re welcome, I mean.”

 

Keith smiled the best he could. “Yeah.”

 

Keith limped into the house, the door swinging shut behind him leaving Lance alone. The sun was high in the sky again, he noted. His heart sank and he sat on the edge of the balcony with his legs between the railings, swinging them in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn ain't that just how it is on this bitch of an area.
> 
> Christ I'm tired. Anywho, see y'all next week!


	7. Arc I Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith, Hunk, and Lance all take a nice day trip. Too bad Lance is salty, Keith is frustrated, and Hunk leaves them on their own to sort out their issues. But maybe all that does it create more...

The sun was high in the sky when Lance finally spotted Hunk in the sky. He hopped to his feet, his wings lifted with anticipation and excitement to see him again. They drooped once the other came closer and he realized he was empty handed, again.

 

Hunk landed with a thump, his expression downcast as he avoided Lance’s eyes. His hair was held back by his orange headband, tied sloppier than usual since he left earlier that morning. He looked like an absolute mess. Lance cooed, cupping Hunk’s face to wipe away a smudge of dirt.

 

It was disheartening to see how dejected his nestmate looked. Even his cooing wasn’t helping him to relax, which was unusual. He squished the pudge of his cheeks before pulling him into a warm hug. It took a moment for Hunk to wrap his arms around him too, accepting his touch.

 

Lance rested his chin on Hunk’s shoulder. “Still nothing?”

 

Hunk sighed deeply and pulled back. “Still. There aren’t any animals out there that I can shoot. I would have to travel to a whole nother _ district _ if I wanted to find something.”

 

Lance shuffled his feet nervously. “There’s always the market in town...”

 

Hunk groaned. “Lance, we’ve already talked about this.”

 

“I know, I know! But what else can we do? We’re almost out of vegetables and we’ve got nothing else to eat in the nest. We are hunter birds, Hunk, we can’t live off of veggies forever. You know that.”

 

“We don’t have the money, Lance. Buying meat from the marketplace is too expensive.”

 

“I can always ask my mom for help.”

 

“No, we’ve done that too many times!”

 

“Then what do you suggest!” Lance yelled, throwing his hands up, his feathers ruffled. “There’s nothing else we can do! The forest is empty! Don’t forget it’s not just us in the nest anymore, there’s the human you were so adamant we kept!”

 

Hunk gave him a cold look, his bow closed in a fist. Then he sighed in defeat, his hand relaxing. He pinched his brow between his thumb and pointer finger. He was biting the inside of his cheek as he thought it over. The silence was thick before he spoke. “Tomorrow.”

 

Lance pumped his fist in victory and threw himself at Hunk, rubbing his face on the other’s chest as he gave him a warm hug. “Yes! Okay, so I’ve made a list of things we need and stores we should probably go to-”

 

“But,” Hunk cut off, a sly grin on his face, “you have to stay with Keith the whole time,”

 

Lance looked at Hunk like he had lost his mind. “Um, no. Keith stays here at the nest,  _ we _ go into town. How am I going to look after him if I’m…” Lance trailed off, finally  realizing what Hunk was implying.

 

“No.”

 

“Yes, Lance.”

 

“No! I’m not going to be his babysitter two days in a row!”

 

“We can’t leave him here all alone, you remember how that ended last time. Besides, he’s not sick anymore and his ankle is almost healed. Plus, he has the crutch we made, so it’ll be fine.”

 

“I don’t  _ care _ that he’s fine,” Lance whined. “I just don’t want to deal with his ass. He’s irritating and rubs my feathers the wrong way, he’s slow and can’t keep up,  _ and _ he knows absolutely nothing!”

 

Hunk shrugged, leaning against the railing and gloating because he knew he already won. “Then teach him. It won’t be so bad, you guys can go get some spices while I go find  meat and such. It’ll be fun.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes for the second time and crossed his arms. “You’re only saying that ‘cause  _ you’re _ not the one hauling him around.”

 

“Take it or leave it.”

 

He grumbled and gave in. “Fine, whatever. Only if I get a kiss.”

 

Hunk leaned forward and gave Lance a quick smeck on the lips. He pulled away with a playful smile. “That good enough?”

 

Lance wiggled his eyebrows and winked. “I dunno, I might want some more later.”

 

Another quick peck. “You’ll have to wait for that one, babe.”

 

Lance fake pouted. “Fine. Let’s go inside, it’s cold out here.”

 

“Yeah, fall is coming fast, isn’t it? We will need to stock up soon,” Hunk thought aloud, shutting the kitchen door behind them. “Also… About what you said earlier…”

 

“I don’t like that tone. That’s an I-want-tea-and-I-better-get-it tone,” Lance said, hopping onto a counter.

 

“I hear you and Keith hung out today?”

 

“Pfft, no. Where did you get that? He’s not worthy of my presence,” Lance said, tossing nonexistent hair over his shoulder.

 

Hunk came closer and leaned his elbows on the counter right next to Lance, linking his hands together under his chin. “ _ Well _ , I’m pretty sure I heard you say something about  babysitting him ‘again’, so I just assumed.”

 

Lance turned his head to the side dramatically. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Hunk pinched Lance’s thigh which made Lance yelp and slap his hand away. “Come on,” he whined. “I want to know what my boys were up to today.”

 

Lance leaned down and pressed his forehead to Hunk’s, a pout clear on his face. “I am your only boy, not him.”

 

Hunk smiled and pressed his lips against Lance’s. “I know, I know, I didn’t mean it like that. You know I love you.”

 

Lance huffed and gave Hunk a kiss of his own before pulling away. “Yeah, I know. Sorry, my nerves are just freakin’ shot right now.”

 

Hunk raised his eyebrows, a knowing look on his face. “Hm, I can’t help but wonder why though?”

 

Lance gave in and threw his hands up. “Nothing really happened! I was just working on my assignment for Allura and dropped some shit when he barged in demanding me to  take him to the shower. Very  _ rudely _ might I add.”

 

Hunk’s playful expression suddenly dropped and his brow knitted together. “You didn’t…?”

 

Lance sputtered, his cheeks growing red. Frankly, he was insulted that Hunk would think that. “No, of course I didn’t shower  _ with _ him! That’s strictly a you-and-me thing.”

 

Hunk let out a sigh of relief, his easygoing smile slipping back. “Okay. So, is he doing better now?”

 

“We came back down not too long ago. I don’t know where he is ‘cause I wanted to wait outside for you. He’s probably hiding out in the guest room like usual.”

 

“Aw, you waited for me,” Hunk gushed, a hand on his cheek. “You love me!~”

 

Lance bumped Hunk’s shoulder gently, a light flush dusting his cheeks. “Hush you, when have I not?”

 

Hunk straightened himself before patting his nestmate’s thigh affectionately. “I’ll go check up on him real fast and then make us some lunch.” He was almost past the archway when he turned around. “Lance?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

He was shuffling his feet, hiding half his face sheepishly. “I’m sorry for assuming that… You know.”

 

Lance smiled. “It’s fine, babe, just go check up on mullet already.”

 

“He has a mullet?”

 

Lance shrugged. “Might as well be one.”

 

Hunk laughed. “I’ll be right back, could you start cutting up the carrots for me?”

 

Lance mocked a salute. “Aye, Master Chef Hunk.”

 

The other just shook his head, leaving the room with a dopey smile on his face.

 

~~~

 

Keith was wide awake. He was laying on the bed staring at the blank ceiling, not even bothering to get under the covers. His head was too full of thoughts for him to get sleep.  He was pinching the palm of his hand as he asked himself question after question, trying to piece things together.

 

So Hunk and Lance were Avians, which somehow sounded familiar. Maybe some Greek Mythology stuff he read about in middle school? Okay, then there was a branch of Avians called Alteans, that apparently could use magic. Lance was part Altean, Hunk wasn’t. Lance equals magic, Hunk doesn’t.

 

He sighed and ran both hands through his now clean hair. It wasn’t as if he didn’t get it, it was just that all of it was so _ bizarre _ . It felt like he was learning the lore to some weird TV show that Matt used to force him to watch. None of this sounded like it was _ real _ . For some reason, he still half expected some TV host to walk through the door in an overly loud and exaggerated voice and scream into a microphone that he was on camera.

 

Except that was real, and he just had to get used to that. Which he didn’t expect to happen anytime soon.

 

He sighed and sat up, rubbing his forehead. None of it mattered because as soon as he got Shiro back, he was out of here. They could go back into town and… Um… Well, he didn’t really know. His plan kind of ended after the whole ‘get Shiro back’ part. They could probably just get an apartment and live out a normal life, one without the Garrison and magical flying people.

 

Which seemed impossible to do at this point.

 

Keith tried flexing his ankle and grinned when it barely hurt. Guess his ankle wasn’t as sprained as he had originally thought. Just a few more days, maybe a week, and he was out of this deluxe-treehouse. 

 

The door creaked open and Keith snapped his head up. There was Hunk in the doorway, his face slightly pink with a wide smile stretched across his lips. His feathers were  ruffled and his wings fluttered lightly on his back. And once again, Keith couldn’t tear his eyes away from them.

 

Hunk held up a hand and weakly waved. “Hey.”

 

Keith nodded, ripping his gaze off of the other’s wings. “Hey.”

 

Hunk took that as a sign it was okay to come in and sat on the edge of the bed. Keith curled his legs to his chest, uncomfortable with being too close. “I heard you were up and about, hanging out with Lance today.”

 

Another nod.

 

“Not much of a conversationalist, are you?” Hunk joked. His long flight feathers tickled Keith’s toes and he pulled his legs closer to his body. “Those clothes look nice on you though.”

 

“Thanks,” Keith said shortly. It was obviously a lie, and both of them knew it. The clothes were falling apart at the seams and were huge on him. He might as well have been swimming in them.

 

There was an awkward silence as Hunk tried to think of something to say. Keith watched him fiddling with his hands, glancing around the room as his wings twitched. It was when he started whistling that Keith cut him off.

 

“Is there something that you needed?” he asked, an undertone of annoyance in his voice.

 

“Oh, uh…” Hunk scratched the side of his face. “Well, you see, Lance and I are going into town tomorrow…”

 

“Okay, I’ll be fine here by myself.”

 

“Oh, but we were going to bring you with us.”

 

Keith visibly tensed. Why would they want him to go into town with them? There was no reason for it that he could think of. “Why?”

 

Hunk sputtered, waving his hands about as his wings beat lightly behind him. “Um, well, you need to get out this old nest at some point, don’t you? It’s a bit stuffy when you’re in here for too long.”

 

“What about my ankle?” Keith gestured to his leg.

 

“Oh, it’ll be fine. You have your crutch and your ankle is healing just fine. Getting out for a bit could be good, like a therapy or something.”

 

Keith nodded hesitantly. “Okay… What are we going for, exactly?”

 

“We needed to get more food, some spices, stuff for Lance, stuff for you, you get the idea,” Hunk said, listing everything off on his fingers. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.”

 

A nod.

 

The silence returned and Hunk patted his knees and stood. “Well, now you know! Is there anything else you need?”  
Keith shook his head, his bangs brushing his face.

 

“Okay, I’m going to go make lunch real fast and I’ll be back in just a minute-”

 

Hunk was just out the door before Keith spoke up. “Wait, I have a question.” 

 

The other stopped in his tracks and turned towards him. “Yeah? What is it, man?”

 

Keith bit the inside of his lip and tried to peer over Hunk’s shoulder to see if Lance was there. Hunk quickly got the memo and came back into the room, shutting the door behind him. 

 

He decided to just go for it, no reason to dance around it. “Do you know why Lance hates humans?”

 

Hunk visibly tensed and suddenly found the window’s view very interesting. He fiddled with his hands and chewed his bottom lip nervously. “I… I-I don’t think I should be the one to tell you.”

 

Keith’s eyebrows knit together. “What do you mean?”

 

“Well, it’s a personal thing. To Lance, I mean. I shouldn’t be telling you about it when it’s not my business. It took a long time for Lance to talk to me about it, so I don’t think he would appreciate me blabbering.”

 

Keith nodded, even with his curiosity spiking. “I get it, you don’t have to. I’m sorry for asking.”

 

Hunk sighed in relief. “Thanks, man. You know, if you and Lance get to be friends, maybe he would tell you then.”

 

Keith wanted to laugh at the thought. Lance hated him, so that would never happen in a million years. But he forced a small smiled for the sake of Hunk. “Maybe.”

 

Hunk nodded. “Okay, now I’m going to start lunch before you distract me again. Be back in just a second!”

 

When the door shut, Keith fell back onto the bed, his head hitting the soft pillow. He stared back up the ceiling and stewed in his curiosity. He wanted to know what happened, but he knew how to identify a lost cause. He would just have to accept that Lance despised him and there would be no changing that.

 

Keith sighed and rolled on his side. Well, at least while he was in town he could find a map and see how far away this Allura person might be. Then he could make an estimate  as to where Shiro was all while familiarizing himself with this area.

 

But until then, he would just have to wait.

 

~~~

 

The next morning was the first time he was woken up by something other than himself. 

 

“Get up, mullet! Get ready, let’s go!” Lance opened the bedroom door with a slam, screeching his head off. Keith groaned and tried covering his ears with the pillow, but the other’s voice was too high-pitched to block out with just that. Then Lance ripped his only protection away from him, yelling into his ear.

 

“You deaf? Get up!”

 

Keith opened his eyes blearily, rubbing them with the heel of his hand. “Christ, do you have a megaphone installed in your throat?” He yawned. “Wha’ time is it?” he slurred, noticing the sun had already risen, rays of light peeking through the curtains. Weird, he had never overslept before. 

 

“It’s time to go, so get dressed. Hunk was nice enough to wash your clothes yesterday, so here.” Lance tossed the clothes onto Keith’s face, causing the other to flail. He held up his now clean jacket, wincing when he saw the tear in the sleeve. Right, bullets do that, don’t they?

 

“Thanks,” Keith muttered.

 

“You’re welcome,” Lance smirked, his hands on his hips. “Now hurry up, Hunk and I are already good to go.” And just as quick as he came, he left and shut the door behind him.

 

Now fully dressed, he grabbed his crutch from the bedpost and limped into the living room where Hunk and Lance were sitting. Both of them were on the couch, the latter draping himself over the other’s lap, his wings spilling over Hunk and tickling his face. It didn’t seem to bother him too much. Keith wondered how it must be to have friends like that. He was never too close with any kids his age, so he wouldn’t know.

 

Hunk looked up and noticed Keith, shooting him a hearty smile. “You ready?”

 

Keith shrugged. “I guess.” It felt nice to be in his own clothes again, especially now that they didn’t reek with days worth of sweat.

 

Lance lifted his head up and sneered at Keith. “Eugh, heard of a brush? Looks like you have a rat’s nest on top of your head.”

 

Hunk flicked Lance’s forehead, making him yelp. “I’ve seen your bedhead and you’re not much of a looker when you wake up either.”

Lance pinched Hunk’s nose. “You know you love me.”

 

“Sometimes I wonder,” Hunk said, his expression deadpan.

 

Keith watched their friendly exchange. There was a weird feeling in his chest. Almost like… Longing? No, jealousy? He mentally cringed. No, he was just missing Shiro, that was all.   


 

Finally, the two Avians stopped their antics. “Anyways,” Hunk said, standing before Lance could move. He fell onto the floor in a flurry of wings and squawks. Hunk laughed and helped the other up with a hand. “Let’s get going.”

 

Keith followed the other two wordlessly, feeling awkward and out of place. You could tell he was the outsider in this situation with just a glance. The other two were obviously close to each other while he was on the outskirt. They were all over each other as they walked out onto the balcony, playfully teasing each other the whole way. 

 

Hunk pushed Lance off of him with a laugh. “Shut up, dude! Stretch or I’m gonna push you over the railing.”

 

Lance winked at him. “I’ve been waiting for you to for weeks if you know what I mean.”

 

Hunk’s cheeks turned a fire truck red as the innuendo flew straight over Keith’s head. 

 

Then, both of the Avians unfolded their wings and Keith’s eyes were glued. Hunk’s were a warm, rich earthy brown that looked soft enough to sleep in. Despite being sleek, they also seemed fluffy. Keith offhandedly thought that it would be satisfying to run his fingers through the feathers. The inside of them were a creamy white, speckled with varying shades of brown. The tips were so dark they looked almost black.

 

Lance’s weren’t as long or big as Hunk’s, but for what they lacked in size they certainly made up for in detail. Keith recalled him saying that his ancestors were barn owls and now Keith could definitely make the connection when he thought about it. They looked sleeker than Hunk’s, but no less soft. The outsides of them were light browns speckled with black and white, the inside a pure white. The flight wings were striped with greys.

 

Hunk let his wings drop with a huff, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders. “Alright, Keith, come over here.”

 

Keith’s stomach tanked as he limped towards him. He already knew what was going to happen and he was  _ not  _ looking forward to reliving it again. Hunk knelt down with his arms outstretched, ready to hold Keith in a cradle.

 

Keith was barely able to stifle a yelp as he was swept off his feet. The position was no less humiliating now than it was yesterday and he felt claustrophobic being so close to another person.

 

He heard Lance snicker as he picked up Keith’s crutch. “You look like some stereotypical damsel in distress.”

 

Keith grit his teeth and pointed a heated glare at Lance. “Shut up.”

 

Hunk groaned. “Guys, stop! I don’t want to be dealing with you two bickering all day. Lance, you ready?”

 

The other nodded, snapping his wings out with a flare, the sunlight getting caught on them. “Yep. Let’s go.”

 

Lance dove over the side of the railing without hesitation, swooping back up just a few seconds later. He flapped his wings with gusto, hovering in the air as he waited for them. 

 

He cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled, “Hurry up, I’m not getting any younger here!”

 

Hunk stepped closer to the edge of the balcony and despite his discomfort with touch, Keith felt himself lean into the other’s chest. “You good?” Hunk asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

 

Keith nodded shortly.

 

Then, Hunk jumped over the railing and gravity took over. Keith squeezed his eyes shut and clutched to the material of the other’s shirt in a deadly grip, getting awful deja vu of yesterday.

 

Hunk was gentler at flying than Lance and didn’t fly straight towards the ground in a nosedive. When Keith opened his eyes, they were already moving above the treetops, an endless sea of green beneath them. When the wind blew, the leaves looked like gentle waves. Lance was flying just ahead of them with a bag hanging over his shoulder and Keith’s crutch in hand. 

 

The wind licked his face as they flew, tousling his hair and getting it even more tangled than before. They moved surprisingly fast despite their combined weight, making Keith wonder how fast Hunk was without the burden.

 

“How far away is the town?” Keith yelled over the wind, spitting out a stray lock of hair that got into his mouth.

 

“Not too far, we will probably be there in maybe fifteen minutes. So you’ll be let down soon, don’t worry.”

 

Keith sighed in relief. Thank god he won’t be this close to Hunk for hours on end. He felt surprisingly excited to be going to the town and chalked it up to learning more about this strange place. He wondered if it would be similar to his city where there were shops lined up in tight rows, squeezed together with no room in between.

 

He had to admit that he didn’t know how he would react to being in public again. Just thinking about being around that many people made his palms sweat and his stomach do  flips. It had been a while after he had lost Shiro and quit the Garrison. 

 

What would the people be like there? Would they all be Avians like Hunk and Lance? It was hard to imagine what it would look like. All he could imagine were clones of Hunk and 

 

Lance crowding an urban city. To say his creativity was lacking was an understatement.

 

The sun was warm against his face, making him sleepy. It was like he was a cat who found a nice patch of sun to curl up and take a nap in. He closed his eyes and drifted between sleep and consciousness, his mind empty as he listened to the sound of Hunk and Lance’s wings beating the air. 

 

Then, he was startled awake as Hunk landed on the ground with a harsh thump. They were just on the outskirts of the town where Keith could see the tops of houses and  buildings. Hunk set him on his feet and supported him with his arm.

 

“We made it, sleepyhead,” Hunk teased.

 

“Here, take your crutch. I think it gave me a splinter,” Lance groaned, handing the crutch to Keith.

 

He took it and nestled it under his arm, letting go of Hunk to stand on his own. His ankle seemed fine for now. “You’re the one who made it, blame yourself.”

 

Lance sputtered, insulted. “I’ll tell you that I am the best carver-”

 

“Lance,  _ dude, _ ” Hunk groaned. 

 

The other crossed his arms and huffed. “And here I thought you were my nestmate.”

 

Nestmate? Keith wondered what that meant until he figured it out. Oh, like a roommate. He got it now.

 

“Man, don’t go there, you guilt tripper. Do you have the cloak for Keith?”

 

Lance unlatched the buckle on the satchel and pulled out a large black cloak that was folded up within. “Yep, here you go, my fine mullet.”

 

Keith snatched it from him with a scowl. “What is up with you? It’s not a mullet, it’s just long.”

 

“Sounds like denial.”

 

“Sounds like you care too much about my hair.”

 

“Guys!”

 

Keith huffed and draped the cloak over his shoulders and clasped the front shut. “Why do I need to wear this, exactly?”

 

Lance rolled his eyes, his wings twitching. “Because we can’t have people finding out you’re a human, duh.”

 

Keith raised an eyebrow. “How come?”

 

Lance pointed a glare. “Oh, I don’t know. Hunk, why is it a bad idea to bring a human in town, exactly?”

 

Hunk fiddled with his fingers. “Well, it’s kind of illegal to be harboring a human.”

 

Keith went still before he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. God, apparently he was stuck with not one, but  _ two _ idiots. “So then  _ why _ am I here?”

 

“To torture me,” Lance said, crossing his arms. Hunk didn’t answer, so Keith just sighed again.

 

“Whatever,” he said, throwing his hand in the air, “I don’t care anymore. Let’s just go and get the crap you need so I can leave.”

 

They strolled into town in silence. Lance and Hunk were standing apart, which made Keith feel guilty. He could already tell that wasn’t normal for them, based on their past interactions. But he shook the feeling away and kept moving.

 

The two Avians were slowing their pace for him, which Keith both appreciated and hated. He knew it was unavoidable so that he wouldn’t be left in the dust, but it irritated him feeling this helpless. Just because of that, he started pushing himself to walk ahead of them.

 

Finally, they reached the town. It reminded Keith of an old French village with the cobblestone paths and short cottages. The streets were lined with all sorts of flowers, a majority being lavender. He didn’t miss Lance snatching some before packing it in his bag. The streets were full of people who bustled by casually, showing no interest in the three of them. 

 

The variety of people astounded Keith. For the most part, they were humanoid, but they came in all shapes and sizes that he had never seen before. Long ears, neon skin, extra eyes, you name it. One particular person that caught his eye was a man sweeping in front of his shop who had goat legs and small horns protruding from his forehead. 

 

Lance grabbed Keith’s head and twisted it forward. “Don’t stare at people like you’re at a zoo,” he hissed into his ear, “You’re going to draw attention to yourself.”

 

Keith glued his eyes to the ground, half tempted to draw his hood up. They continued until they got to the center of town where the plaza was. Multiple streets branched off and led to different places, the whole area jam-packed with people rushing place to place.

 

They came to a stop in the center where a large fountain was gushing streams of water. There was a group of pointy-eared kids drinking out of it, splashing each other playfully. Hunk slapped a hand on Keith’s shoulder, snapping him back to attention.

 

“You two are going to go off and get spices and anything else you two need. I’ll be at the open air market if you need me. Okay?”

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll look after the poor, defenseless mullet.”

 

Keith took a deep breath to calm himself. “What time do we meet you back here?”

 

Hunk hummed before shrugging his shoulders much to Keith’s frustration. “Whenever you guys want. Maybe some time past noon, I’m not too picky. Lance has some money on him so you can get lunch if you want, I’m sure you’re tired of eating nothing but soup.

 

He really,  _ really _ was, but he wasn’t going to mention that and instead nodded. Man, it was like his neck was broken with how much he was nodding his head. “Got it.”

 

Hunk wrapped up Lance in a big hug, which the other returned reluctantly. “I’ll see you later today.”

 

“M’kay. Love you.”

 

“Love you too.”

 

Keith watched the exchange. It reminded him of his relationship with Shiro and how close they were. He wondered if maybe they were like brothers to each other too…

 

Hunk waved to them one last time before being swallowed by the crowd, leaving Keith and Lance alone. The people walked around them as they stood awkwardly. Lance sighed and adjusted his bag.

 

“Let’s go.” And with that, Lance walked away with Keith just barely on his tail. 

 

He tried to keep up, but it was hard to maneuver the crowd with a crutch, especially when he kept tripping on the uneven cobblestone. Lance was always just barely ahead, but Keith couldn’t get to his side no matter how much he picked up the pace. Was he walking ahead on purpose?

 

Keith grit his teeth in frustration and stopped caring if he pushed anyone. “Lance! Slow down!”

 

Did he  _ seriously _ just speed up?

 

It continued like that for a while, Keith yelling at Lance and the other speeding ahead until the latter suddenly turned and pushed open a shop door. Keith rushed in after him, not comfortable with being on the streets alone. People were starting to look at him because of all his yelling.

 

The door swung open, ringing a small silver bell above his head. The shop had an overpowering scent of pine which made Keith’s eyes water. There were rows of waist-high shelves all squeezed close together, full with random knick-knacks Keith couldn’t identify. There seemed to be no order to it. Peering at one of them was Lance, a hand on his hip as he read the label on a bottle full of what looked like pink sand.

 

Keith walked over carefully, barely managing to not knock anything over with his crutch. He noticed a tall glass bottle on the floor with a thin, loopy neck. Inside was some sort of frog-like creature sitting at the bottom. It blinked at him slowly and  _ barked _ . 

 

He jumped in surprise and quickly walked past it, not wanting it to somehow get out of its bottle and attack him. Just when he got close to Lance, the Avian muttered something unintelligible before moving further away, weaving through the shelves with ease. 

 

“What is up with you? What did I do?” Keith asked, groaning. 

 

Lance rolled his eyes, putting down a weird ball of shells back on its shelf. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I  _ really _ don’t like you.” He moved further away again.

 

“Why?”

 

Keith saw Lance stiffen, an emotion flickering over his face too fast for him to read. He recovered quickly. “Cause you’re rude and gross. Who has a mullet in this decade?”

 

They both knew it was a lie, but Keith was fed up with Lance’s antics. “Fine, if you’re going to be like that, then I’m leaving. Have fun telling Hunk what happened.”

 

He started to hobble away, knowing he already won. Lance’s one weakness was Hunk being upset, or at least that’s what he guessed it was. He probably wanted to stay on his friend’s good side. If this worked, then…

 

“Wait, just…” Keith turned around and watched Lance clench his fist in frustration. “Just stand by the door. Not outside, in case if I need to clarify that for you, idiot. I’ll be done in a bit.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. Good enough. He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Next to him was what looked like the register counter, but nobody was there. It  didn’t bother him too much so he turned away and watched Lance steer through the shelves.

 

“So what exactly are you doing in this store? And what is all this junk?”

 

Lance huffed and turned towards him, his hands on his hips. “For your information, it’s not  _ junk _ . It’s a magical item store and it’s the only one for miles.”

 

“Why would you need magical items? Can’t you just make them yourself?” 

 

“No, I’m just a beginner,” Lance said with a pout, rolling his eyes. “Some things are too complex for me to do, so sometimes I have to look for something else. Besides, it’s a great way to get ideas.”

 

Keith tilted his head in confusion. “Ideas?”

 

“Magic isn’t rigid, it’s always flowing,” Lance said, waving his hand in a water-like motion. “New magic is being created all the time, so looking at these items can help magic users think of new spells. Like…”

 

Lance scanned the shelves with his finger before landing on something. He snatched it up and showed it to Keith. It was another bottle, this one chipped from age and full of a maroon gas, a turquoise liquid sitting at the bottom. 

 

“This is a repair potion! It’s for fixing things like holes in shirts or a dented table. Small stuff, it isn’t that good. Mostly people who don’t know anything about magic buy it and get ripped off ‘cause they thought they could just dump it on whatever.”

 

Keith looked at it skeptically. “If it fixes small stuff then why is the bottle all beat up?”

 

Lance studied the potion closer and scoffed. “Oh, this is some real trash. How long has this thing been here?”

 

Keith shrugged, but Lance went on. “Anyways, someone like me could look at this and find some way to improve it and yadda yadda. That’s what most of the stuff on the shelves  are for is study.”

 

“You’re buying it?”

 

Lance sneered. “Eugh, no. I’m just looking to see if there’s anything new. Hardly anyone around here has magic, so that’s why this is the only shop for it.” He sighed and set the bottle back down. “Nothing interesting here. What I’m  _ really  _ here for are their crystals.”

 

Keith looked around the room but saw no shelves with any rocks on it. Well, ones that didn’t look like they were picked off the side of the road. “You sure you’re in the right place?”

 

“Of course I am!” Lance waved his hand at him. “Shay just isn’t here right now. I’m praying that her brother won’t be on his shift…”

 

The ominous way Lance spoke made Keith shiver. “When will she be here?”

 

Lance shrugged. “No clue. She pops in and out of the shop whenever. Their family isn’t really concerned with thieves because they are  _ heavy _ believers in karma. I’m not, but I respect that. Besides, even if they don’t want to admit it, there’s not really anyone who would want to steal from this place.”

 

Keith hummed in response, his eye-catching onto what looked like a dreamcatcher made of butterfly wings and colorful plastic beads. He twisted the string that hung off of it between his fingers.

 

“Besides, they  _ love _ me. Well, they like Hunk more because of a thing he helped them with a while back, but they like me too. They even give me a discount whenever I drop in  here! But seriously, their crystals are to  _ die for _ . Most shops have crystals and all that, but these ones are special. I have literally  _ no _ idea where they get them, but they say they’re called Balmeran crystals.”

 

Keith listened to Lance ramble, only mildly impressed that he wasn’t tripping over his own tongue.

 

“Most of the ones they sell have other types of rock in it like amethyst or tiger’s eye so that they have different properties while still retaining magic. They don’t have many pure crystals, but Hunk actually gave me one as a present.”

 

“You have one?” Keith asked, legitimately curious. Lance weaved through the shelves and approached him, pulling down the collar of his shirt to reveal a necklace Keith had never noticed before.

 

The crystal was small, no bigger than the nail on his pinkie finger. It was a bright blue color with green undertones and cut smoothly. It was attached to the thin chain using a band of silver metal that was engraved with patterns Keith had not seen before. While it looked pretty, it didn’t really…

 

“You said those things have magic, right? Looks like you got a dud.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “No, dumbass. Its magic reacts with the user’s magic. You have to activate it.” Lance gently touched the stone with the tip of his finger and it started to glow, making Keith blink away.

 

When Lance pulled away, Keith very stupidly put his own finger against it. Nothing happened. Well, except for Lance laughing his ass off.

 

He was hunched over on himself, his hands on his knees and he wheezed. “Dude, you’re a human, you ain’t got magic!”

 

Keith felt the tips of his ears get hot. “I was just touching it! I wasn’t trying to-”

 

His defensive sputtering was cut short when there was a loud sound from behind the register. Both of them turned to see a tall, stocky woman brushing the dirt off of herself. Her skin was dark grey and she had large hoop earrings that were pierced through two large horns protruding from the sides of her head. She was wearing what looked like a knee-high summer dress that was colored a rich, olive green with a yellow sash tied around her waist.

 

“Oh, look! It’s Shay!”

 

The woman turned on her heel and Keith’s mouth dropped before he quickly snapped it shut. She had more horns on her jaw and forehead that were smaller, but he couldn’t stop looking at her eyes. They were pupiless and entirely yellow, giving her an eerie look. 

 

“Oh! It is Lance!” She smiled sweetly and bounded over to the counter, resting her elbows on the top. “Is Hunk accompanying you today?”

 

Lance grinned and flicked her forearm (which Keith noticed was covered in bumps). “Nope, he’s not here to visit today.”

 

Shay smirked and flicked him back, making Lance wince. “And here I was hoping I was going to finally steal him away from you.”

 

Lance’s face flushed slightly. “You wish, bish.”

 

She only giggled and stood up straighter. “Trust me, you two are so close that sometimes, it is  _ too _ sweet.” Her eyes drifted over to Keith who almost jumped out of his skin from those yellow eyes. 

 

“And who is this fellow with you? Cannot say I have ever seen him before.”

 

Shay leaned closer when Lance stepped between the two of them. “He’s just an old friend of ours visiting from our hometown. No biggie.”

 

The woman pouted but backed off. “You are no fun. I only want to learn more about him.”

 

“He’s not very talkative, are you?” Lance looked over his shoulder at Keith and he quickly shook his head. “Besides, he has an awful attitude and has a mull-”

 

Lance was cut short when Keith stabbed his sides with his fingers, making him screech. “What the fu-”

 

“Lance, do not,” Shay said, giving him a hard look.

 

“Right, no cursing. Sorry, bud.”

Her face softened. “It is alright, I know it is a bit of a hindrance. But what brings you into town? I have not seen you for a while.

 

“Came in for some groceries and other stuff,” Lance shrugged. Shay nodded her head and hummed.

 

“I thought meat would last you forever, but I guess not. But have you heard…”

 

Both Keith and Lance leaned in to listen to her whispering, covering her hand like she was afraid someone was watching. “Most of the animals have migrated away from the forest. Nobody can explain it, but there’s something different about the magic in the air…”

 

“What does that mean?” Keith whispered. Lance elbowed him in the gut, but Shay already caught what he said.

 

“The earth has magic lying dormant inside that certain folk can activate, but not me. I cannot harness magic, but I can sense it. Except lately, it feels… Off.”

 

“What do you mean, off?” Lance asked with a crease in his brow. Keith noticed him bouncing his leg nervously and holding his arms close to his body.

 

“Like… Like it is corrupted.”

 

The mood suddenly dropped to the point where it was almost suffocating. Keith didn’t even understand what corrupted magic meant, but he could feel the dread emitting from Lance and assumed it wasn’t good.

 

“Have you told anyone else this?”

 

Shay shook her head, her hoops swaying and tapping lightly against her face. “No, I have not. I wanted you to be the first one I told.”

 

Some of the tension was released from Lance’s shoulders. “Okay, good. When was it you started to feel this? I need you to be as exact as you can.”

 

Shay thought to herself, a troubled look on her face. “It was such a long time ago… I would have to guess about a month prior? Not long after I saw you last.”

 

Lance’s bottom lip was caught in his teeth. “Okay, thank you. Keith, we need to go.”

 

Keith fumbled for his crutch and had just gotten it under his arm when Lance pushed the door open. Shay looked flustered and had her hands on the counter.

 

“You are leaving so soon? Why? Has something happened? Did you figure something out?”

 

Lance avoided all of her questions. “It’s fine, I just need to go do something.” He held the door open for Keith who quickly walked out. Lance peeked his head back in. “And Shay?”

 

“Yes, Lance?” Her hands were clasped in front of her chest, a worried look on her face.

 

“Don’t tell  _ anyone _ about this. Tell your family not to either. Don’t let this information get out, okay?”

 

She bit her lip and nodded her head. “Yes, I understand. I wish you well, Lance. May your path be merciful.”

 

He grinned at her. “And yours too. Bye!”

 

The door closed before she could reply. Lance snatched Keith’s free hand and tugged him down the street and through the crowd. Keith was surprised and tried to keep up, stumbling over his own feet and bumping into people by accident. The number of dirty looks he was getting made him nervous.

 

Lance was going too fast and no matter how quickly he moved his crutch, he couldn’t keep up. He lost his footing and fell to the ground hard, his hand slipping out of Lance’s. The other whipped around and spotted him on the cobblestone, kneeling down.

 

“Get up, we need to find Hunk, quickly.” Lance stuck out a hand for Keith to take, but he slapped it away.

 

“What is wrong with you?!” Keith yelled, baring his teeth. He ignored the looks he got.

 

Lance looked confused, offended, and pissed all in one expression. “Excuse me?”

 

Keith looked around and spotted an alley between two buildings. He shakily pushed himself up onto his feet and grabbed his crutch. “You and I need to talk. Now, not later.”

 

“Keith, we don’t have time for this-”

 

Before Lance could finish, Keith was already gone and walking to the alley. The Avian huffed, his wings moving with the drop of his shoulders. Keith looked back at him and Lance rolled his eyes before following, a scowl on his face.

 

They stood apart on separate walls, both of them with their arms crossed. Lance decided to start.

 

“What is it you stopped us for? I know you can’t read the mood, but I need to get back to Hunk ASAP and you stopping us is  _ so _ not helping.”

 

“And  _ why _ would I willingly let you drag me through the crowd like some broken ragdoll when I don’t even know why?” Keith yelled, his eyes hard. He had put up with this guy’s shit all day and he even thought they were getting along for a while in that shop. But apparently not.

 

Lance looked down the alley. “I can’t tell you why.”

 

“And why can’t you tell me why?” 

 

“It’s important and I can’t be sharing it with you until I tell Allura.”

 

“Why can’t you share it with me, huh? Is it because I’m a-”

 

Before Keith could get it out, Lance had already thrown himself at him and clamped a hand over his mouth. “Oh my fucking Gods, do you  _ want  _ to get us both killed?!” Lance whisper-screamed venomously.

 

Keith struggled before licking Lance’s hand. The Avian leaped away with a disgusted screech, wiping his hand on his pants quickly.

 

“Did you just  _ lick me? _ ” he yelled, his feathers stuck on end. 

 

“Tell me. Right here and now. What is going on?” Keith said, his voice solid. Lance looked stuck before he ran a hand through his hair and groaned.

 

“I’ll give you a general overview, or something. Just don’t expect much.”

 

Keith shrugged. Good enough. He at least wanted to know part of it. Being kept in the dark all of the time was starting to get on his nerves.

 

“So basically, magic is an equivalent to quintessence. And what that is, is it’s pretty much the life force that everything has in it, which Shay can sense.”

 

Keith nodded, somewhat following along.

 

“Now, quintessence is extremely powerful if the right user is in control,” Lance explained. He twirled his finger and Keith had to struggle not to look surprised when water materialized out of thin air and swirled around Lance’s hand.

 

“I’m just a beginner, so I can’t harness magic, or quintessence, very well. Not very strong looking, huh?” He joked.

 

Keith shook his head. “Not really.”

 

“Psh, I’d like to see you to better,” Lance muttered.  
Keith grit his teeth together and calmed himself before he slapped Lance. “What exactly is this leading to?”

 

“Um… Oh yeah, right,” Lance said, stopping his hand and letting the water fall to the ground with a splash. “So quintessence is powerful, yeah? Wouldn’t that mean bad people  want it to themselves, right?”

 

Keith hesitated before nodding. “Yeah, I guess. Is that why it’s…?”

 

“Yep,” Lance nodded. “That’s why the quintessence, or magic, in this area is off. Some bad people who I can’t name right now are corrupting it.”

 

“But why?”

 

“We don’t really know.”

 

There was a beat of silence before Lance clapped his hands. “Okay, now that you know what’s going on-”

 

“Not really,” Keith muttered.

 

“- Let’s go find Hunk and get the heck outta town.”

 

Lance grabbed for Keith’s hand again, but he ripped it away before he could be dragged through the mud again. “No, we’re not doing that again.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes, grabbing Keith’s hand once more. “I’m not going to drag you, mullet. I’m making sure you’re not going to get lost in the crowd. Stop overreacting.”

 

Keith was grateful that his hair was long enough to cover the red tips of his ears. Lance led him back into the crowd and stuck by his side, not rushing ahead for the first time all day. He didn’t want to admit it, but it felt refreshing.

 

God, was his hand sweaty? Lance didn’t seem to notice or care, so maybe he was just imagining it. 

 

When he was next to Lance, the crowd seemed less violent. They made it back to the square again where they found Hunk. He was sitting on the edge of the fountain, playing with the pointy-eared kids from before. It seemed like he was having fun, laughing when he got splashed.

 

“Hunk!” Lance yelled, raising an arm his over his head and waving. His wings expanded without warning and the feathers smacked Keith’s face. 

 

The other raised his head and grinned, waving back. Lance picked up the pace, and Keith didn’t complain about being dragged along this time. When they were close enough, Lance let go entirely and jumped at Hunk, almost sending them both into the water.

 

“Whoa, eager to see me, huh?” Hunk said with a small smirk.

 

“Oh hush, you.” 

 

Keith was looking at the pointy-eared kids when the two Avians pecked each other on the lips.

 

“I finished early, so I decided to come play with the water nymph kids. They’re growing up so fast, man! Geneva lost one of her baby teeth just last week.”

 

One of the kids pulled back her lip to show Lance a gap in her teeth. He ruffled the girl’s hair playfully. “You’re getting old, granny.”

 

She pouted and punched his leg, to which he only laughed. “You’re mean!”

 

Hunk and Lance laughed and the girl ran back to who Keith guessed were her brothers. Lance’s face suddenly turned serious, but Hunk started talking again before he could get anything out.

 

“I know I said for you guys to get spices, but I found some that I couldn’t resist. They smelt so good, you don’t even know.” He dug around in a shoulder bag that Keith didn’t remember him having. “Oh, and I found some meat, not really the best, but it’s-”

 

Lance gently placed a hand on Hunk’s forearm, causing him to stop mid-sentence. Keith faintly heard him coo something to the other, making him look worried.

 

“Is something wrong, Lance?”

 

Lance leaned in close and brushed away Hunk’s hair, whispering something into the other’s ear. Keith couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he read Hunk’s expression. 

 

When Lance pulled away, Hunk grabbed him by the arms. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

 

“God, I wish,” Lance sighed.

 

Hunk chewed his lip and quickly stood up. “Let’s go. We can get the rest of the stuff another day. Keith, come on.”

 

They quickly walked back to the forest where Hunk scooped Keith up again. They wasted no time before taking back to the skies and flying back home. The trip was silent.

 

The mood worried Keith and as usual, he was full of questions. Who exactly were these bad guys? And how did Lance and Hunk know about them?

 

His sigh was lost in the wind. He listened to the flapping of Hunk and Lance’s wings, the sun still high and bright in his eyes. He hoped Shay was right about a merciful path, cause from the sound of things, they were going to need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I won't be able to update next Friday. I'll be out of town for a U2 concert :3c 
> 
> Sorry about that!
> 
> Tell me your thoughts down below ;^)


	8. Arc I Part 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being gone so long! I got out of school finally, so I might be able to have a consistent update schedule, but who knows.

When Keith woke up the next morning, he got out of bed on his own accord. This time there wasn’t Lance screaming in his ear, causing him to go half deaf. Waking up to silence, to be honest, was more refreshing than an army wake-up call.

 

He put on the same clothes as yesterday (he only had one pair of clothes, sue him) and grabbed his crutch. Keith opened the door expecting the house to be empty and his temporary housemates still in bed, but instead met them face to face in the living room.

 

Both of the Avians whipped their heads around, their faces and wings relaxing when they realized it was just him. They both sat on the couch leaning against each other, obviously in the middle of a conversation. Hunk’s hair was without its usual orange headband, meaning they probably haven’t been up for very long.

 

Keith awkwardly waved to them, bunching his shirt in his hand. “Hey.”

 

“Morning, Keith,” Hunk said, “How are you?”

“Good…” 

 

Lance rolled his eyes and got off the couch, popping his neck idly and his wings twitching. “Do you want anything to eat? We have some old cereal in the pantry if you want that. Or I think Hunk got some fruit if you want that.”

 

Keith was taken aback, taking him an embarrassingly long time to process the question. Lance? Caring about him? Maybe he was still asleep. Was this a dream? 

 

Lance snapped his hand, bringing Keith back to earth. “Hello? You sleepwalking or something?”

 

“O-Oh, uh…” he trailed off. “I’m good, thanks.”

 

Lance shrugged. “Your loss. I’m stealing a granola bar. Want one, Hunk?”

 

Hunk shrugged. “Why not? It’s quick and easy and just means less dishes to clean.”

 

Lance left the room, leaving Hunk and Keith alone together. The latter awkwardly sat on the overstuffed chair across from Hunk, pinching the skin of his palm. Even if he had been staying with them for a few weeks, he still felt awkward. Interacting socially had never been his specialty.

 

“I haven’t ever seen you here this early,” Keith said into the quiet room, feeling louder than he actually was.

 

Hunk looked confused before the words registered. “Oh! Yeah, since we went shopping yesterday I didn’t need to go hunting. It feels nice to sleep in.”

 

Keith lifted a brow. “If this is your idea of sleeping in late…”

 

Hunk just snickered. “Yeah, I’m the early bird around here. Pun totally intended. Lance on the other hand, if I didn’t wake him up he just might slip into a coma. I swear, he sleeps like a rock.”

 

Keith couldn’t help it, he actually laughed. He melted into the easygoing mood, just a little less stiff than before. It felt… Nice. Also unusual, but he hadn’t really talked to someone face to face like this in forever. 

 

Hunk and Keith’s small moment ended when Lance came back into the room. Not that it was a bad thing, but Keith felt out of place talking to Hunk when the other Avian was around. Maybe since they were closer whereas he was just an outsider. 

 

Lance handed Hunk one of the bars before throwing himself onto the couch and draping himself over the other’s legs. Hunk groaned and then Lance’s wing smacked him in the face. Hunk huffed lifted the other up with ease, plopping him down on the other side of the couch.

 

“Hey, what the heck!”

 

“You don’t get to lay all over me if you can’t keep your wings under control. Did’ja forget you had them?”

 

Lance unwrapped his bar grumpily, taking a big bite out of it. He was muttering something under his breath, but Hunk only rolled his eyes.

 

Hunk took his own granola bar out of the wrapping, taking a perfectly normal sized bite (cough, Lance, cough). The mood was peaceful in the room, but Keith felt awkward again with the silence.

 

“So, what are you guys doing up so early?” Keith said, trying to kick up a conversation. Sue him if he can’t handle the silence. At this rate, he’s going to have a court date.

 

Lance swallowed his food. “I’m going to leave in just a little bit, but I’m procrastinating it.”

 

Hunk rolled his eyes, muttering, “As usual…”

 

“Oh hush, you know the trip is a pain in the ass,” Lance grumbled, half-heartedly swiping at Hunk with his foot.

 

Keith tilted his head. “Where are you going?”

 

“Allura’s,” he said shortly, taking another bite of his granola bar and chewing loudly. 

 

Keith automatically perked up and Hunk noticed. “Can I-”

 

“No, you can’t go,” Hunk jumped in, “It’s too long of a trip and your ankle isn’t well enough for it. You’ll stay here with me.” 

 

“You took me to the village, why not to Allura’s?” Keith frowned with a slight itch of irritation.

 

“‘Cause there’s a big difference between flying 15 minutes to town and carrying your heavy ass for  _ hours _ ,” Lance piped in, finishing off his granola bar.

 

“But-”

 

“No buts, you’re going to stay here with me,” Hunk said with a stern look. It melted away just seconds later, his eyes softer. “Don’t worry, as soon as you’re better, we will take  you to Allura’s place.”

 

Lance stood up with a groan, stretching both his arms and wings above his head. He let them drop with a sigh. “Enjoy it while you can, Keith. Honestly, the trip is  _ awful _ . I’d kill to hang out with Hunk, count yourself lucky.”

 

Hunk waved a hand at Lance sheepishly. “Oh, you flatter me, kind sir.”

 

Lance knelt down to bow. “Anything for you, my queen.”

 

The two of them snickered to themselves while Keith pouted and glowered at the ground. If only the carpet could absorb the amount of frustration he had bottled up. 

 

Keith wasn’t happy with this, not at all. He didn’t have a problem with staying with Hunk, no. In fact, he was probably one of the kindest souls he had ever met. Nah, he was pissy because he was being delayed from seeing Shiro. And he was  _ so close  _ to being healed. His bullet wounds were almost gone, and the major one scabbed over. 

 

It was just his damn ankle holding him back.

 

Lance stood back up and gave Hunk a tight hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay?”

 

Hunk nodded, wrapping his hands around Lance, giving him a kiss on the side of his face. Keith didn’t notice, too busy simmering in frustration. “Okay. I love you, Lance.”

 

“You too, Hunk.”

 

They pulled apart when Keith looked up. Lance was in the archway of the kitchen when he turned around, wiping away a fake tear. 

 

“Goodbye, my loving friends. Or, friend. Mullet over there is cutting it close.”

 

Keith’s sputtering was drowned out by Lance’s own boisterous laughter. The front door had just shut when Hunk jumped out of his seat, cupping his hands over his mouth.

 

“Lance, I swear to the Gods, you better stretch your wings before taking off or I’m going to kill you!” Hunk yelled. There was only muffled laughter from behind the door as Hunk stomped through the kitchen.

 

There was the sound of flapping wings. By the time Hunk opened the front door, Lance was already gone from the balcony. 

 

The door was slammed shut. “My Gods, he’s such a dumbass. He’s probably going to get cramps halfway through the trip and have to camp out on a branch. Now wouldn’t  _ that  _ be funny.”

 

Keith snickered. It wasn’t any secret that Lance held himself with pride, that was too evident by the way he acted. Having to sleep on some dirty branch would probably kill him more than the wing pain.

 

Hunk sighed, tossing back his head with his hands together behind his neck. Keith missed the way the other chewed his bottom lip, obviously stressed about something. Hunk needed to vent, but he knew he shouldn’t spill this information to Keith.

 

It was something top secret. Even Hunk wasn’t supposed to know about it. The only reason he did was because even Lance got overwhelmed and Hunk’s job as a nestmate was to be there for his partner, through thick and thin. So he listened and offered up his shoulder to cry on, learning things he shouldn’t have.

 

Allura knew, thank Gods she understood and was okay with it. Lance was truly blessed to have such a kind and understanding mentor. If it were anyone else, they just might have plucked off his feathers.

 

But for now, he had to push his anxieties and worries to the back of his mind. He turned to Keith with an easy going smile, grabbing his headband from in his pocket and tying back his hair.

 

“You want to help me bake?”

 

~~~

 

“Oh my Gods, Keith,  _ no _ .”

 

Keith paused what he was doing and lifted a single eyebrow. “You told me to beat the butter?”

 

Hunk rubbed his face in exasperation, accidentally smearing flour on his cheek. “You take a whisk and soften it, not  _ punch it and get it all over the counter _ .”

Keith looked down at the mushy mess that used to be a stick of butter. He didn’t really know what to do when Hunk said to ‘beat it’, so he just resolved to massaging it with his  hands, which eventually escalated to him hitting it until it wasn’t hard as a brick... All while Hunk’s back was turned.

 

 

“Well,” Keith muttered, “It’s soft now.”

 

Hunk shook his head, but couldn’t fight down the laughter bubbling in his chest. “You are really one of a kind. Have you ever even  _ made _ food before?”

 

Keith looked to the side sheepishly, his ears red. “I can make some pretty good ramen, so I mean…”

 

Hunk slapped a hand to his chest, leaving a white handprint on his shirt. He gasped dramatically, giving Keith a look of horror. “You are a  _ monster _ .”

 

“Hey, not everyone was born with god-like cooking skills. Heck, if you think  _ I’m _ bad, you should see Shiro in the kitchen,” Keith said, a smile softening his face. “I swear, he could burn water if he tried hard enough. Once, he tried making this ratatouille stuff for his French class and it was  _ awful _ . The teacher never let him bring in food again.” He moved his hands as he talked, his smile steadily growing wider. He grabbed a rag and wet it, trying to clean up the mess of butter but only further smearing it.

 

Keith missed the way Hunk’s eyes softened. “You two are close, aren’t you?”

 

Keith’s hand slowed to a stop. “Yeah. Yeah, we really are.”

 

“Is he your brother?” Hunk asked, grabbing the half-prepared bowl of cookie dough from the counter and mixing it. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I mean, I don’t want to pry or anything.”

 

“No, it’s fine,” Keith said, waving his hand lightly. “We are brothers. Well, not biologically, but… He’s my family. I’ve known him ever since I was a kid and he has always been there for me. We haven’t ever really said it out loud to each other, but we are family.”

 

Hunk nodded. “I understand. Family isn’t just blood ties, despite what some might think.”

 

“Do… Do you have any family?” Keith asked slowly, not sure if he was overstepping or not.

 

Hunk’s shoulders bounced. “Yeah, I have a little sister, an older brother, and two moms. One of them works in a bakery, the other is a mechanic, so their skills meshed together and made me what I am now, I guess you could say,” he said with a smile on his face. “My moms remarried after they had kids, so I’m not blood-tied to my brother like I am with my sister. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love him any less! Although, I would appreciate it if he would stop trying to trick me into cooking for him every time I visit.”

 

“Who could blame him? You’re a wizard in the kitchen.”

 

Hunk snorted. “Yeah, too bad the actual wizard in the nest can barely cook. Tries to make an egg and what do I find? Oh, nothing, just half of the shell mixed in.”

 

“How does that work?”

 

“What do you mean? You can't cook an egg?”

 

Keith pursed his lips. “I can cook an egg! It's just... Well, aren’t you guys technically birds? I mean, part-bird? So wouldn’t eating eggs be kind of like…”

 

Hunk starred for a long time. A really long time. Like, an uncomfortably long period of starring. Finally, the Avian let out a long, drawn-out sigh, placing his hands down on the counter.

 

“Gods, you’re just like Lance but more reserved.”

 

Keith sputtered like a dying car engine. “I’m not like him! He’s so rude and loud; How you live with someone with that high of a voice is beyond me.”

 

Hunk rubbed his face, giggling uncontrollably. “He asks the exact same questions and  _ man _ you’re  _ killing _ me. Are you just naturally like this when he’s not here bickering with you? Trust me, there’s no reason to fill in his shoes.”

 

“I’m not like him!” Keith yelled, his face tinted pink. He threw the wet rag at Hunk, hitting him in the face with a wet slap.

 

Hunk’s wings snapped out in surprise, the rag slipping off his face and into the bowl of cookie batter in his arms. The Avian looked forlornly at the greasy, butter-covered towel that now ruined what was going to be the first batch of cookies.

 

“Well, that’s one way to add the butter.”

 

~~~

 

When Keith had just entered middle school, the children’s home was shut down. Apparently, they had run out of budget and simply couldn’t take care of the children anymore. Most of the smaller children were adopted soon after, but Keith was too old to easily find a home anymore.

 

Most of his baby fat had melted off his cheeks, leaving only a thin layer of pudge which was God telling him “you’re never going to look as menacing as you want.” His mouth was still stuck in its permanent frown, his bad attitude making it “impossible for him to be adopted”, according to one of the helpers at the orphanage.

 

The last of the kids were filed into the foster care program, set to live in stranger’s homes until they either were adopted or turned 18. 

 

Luckily, Keith wasn’t sent out of town like some of the others were. He was stationed in a home in the middle of a nice, middle-class neighborhood with an elderly couple. The woman was sweet and painfully overbearing, trying to feed him every chance she got (“You’re like a twig! Would you like a snack?”) and the man was out of the house for the most part. But despite their kindness towards him, they just didn’t feel like family. It made him question if he even knew how to be a part of a family.

 

What made the situation better, though, was that the elderly couple were friends with Shiro’s grandpa. Keith learned this when he was forcefully dragged out of the house to some event and ran into Shiro there, who he learned to accept as a friend.

 

He learned more about Shiro that way, always meeting up when their guardians brought them to bingo night. At this time, the older boy was 16 years old and extremely passionate about space. When they would walk home together, he would ramble on and on about constellations and theories most couldn’t wrap their heads around while Keith listened quietly next to him. The best part: he wasn’t ever expected to respond if he didn’t want to.

 

It was peaceful. It was… Nice. He felt content with his new friend, his new life, even his stand-in family. 

 

Then it changed.

 

The old woman died. Heart failure, the doctors said. The house became quiet and dirty, a thin layer of dust accumulating on every surface. The dishes in the sink were unattended, the clothes towering in the laundry room. The old man always returned at night with a foul-smelling drink in hand, sitting in front of the television for a couple of hours before heading to bed without trading a single word with Keith.

 

He never said it aloud, but Keith missed the old woman. He was beginning to miss her constant doting and light touches, the way she would make sure to give him a smile every day before he left for school. It was only then he realized how much she genuinely cared for him.

 

The old man wasn’t the same. It was almost as if he had forgotten Keith was in the house at all. The only time they spoke was when the man handed him a couple of dollars and telling him to get groceries. His demeanor scared Keith. It felt like any day now, the man was going to wither away himself.

 

Keith felt hollow. Like someone had shot a hole through him and all his energy was slowly draining out. It got harder to sleep at night and wake up in the morning.

 

Shiro noticed it almost immediately but held his tongue. Keith would come to school looking like a wreck. Bags hung heavily underneath his eyes and his hair was unbrushed and greasy. Acne popped up on his face from his lack of washing, losing the motivation for almost all basic hygiene. He would wear the same clothes for days, causing him to smell awful and driving away the few people he had built up relationships with at school.

 

Keith was even lonelier than he was before, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

 

Shiro tried to be supportive, to try and keep Keith going by being there for him, no matter how hard the other boy tried to shut him out. But eventually, he had to confront the other about the issue face to face, he knew that. 

 

He decided the time was right when Keith got into his first fight in over a year.

 

They were walking back to their houses, Keith nursing an ice pack to the side of his face where a deep bruise was already starting to swell. He could feel the disappointment rolling off Shiro in waves, but the guilt in his chest wasn’t as strong as it should have been.

 

“Were you suspended?” Shiro finally said, breaking the silence.

 

Keith nodded. “Three days of in-school suspension.”

 

It was quiet again before Shiro spoke. “Is the boy you hurt okay?”

 

“It was his fault! He started talking shit about me and he was basically asking to be punched! Not my fault he’s just a natural born asshole,” Keith scoffed, squeezing the bag of ice in his hand.

 

Shiro sighed. “I asked if he’s alright, not who’s fault it was.”

 

Keith only shrugged. “I don’t know. I only got one hit in before his lackeys fuckin’ tackled me to the ground.”

 

“Language.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

Another sigh, the silence hanging heavy over their heads. They approached the fork in the road where they split ways, Keith opening his mouth to say goodbye before Shiro cut him off.

 

“Do you want to come over to my house? Just for the afternoon. My  _ Jiji  _ needs some help in the backyard and maybe you could help. It’ll be fun, I promise.”

 

Keith was caught off guard. He hadn’t ever been to Shiro’s  _ house _ before. Sure, they had hung out with each other occasionally at the park or the library, but that was the extent of it. Plus, this seemed like it was going to turn into some sort of lecture real fast, which he was not wanting to deal with.

 

But, he thought, it beat going back to an empty house.

 

He nodded. “Sure.”

 

Shiro responded with a smile. “Alright! My house isn’t too far, just down there.” He pointed down the road, not helping Keith see where his house at all.

 

Keith followed behind him anyway, trusting him enough to not let them get lost. They came to a stop in front of a small, one-story house. The front yard was a spotty patch of grass with a winding sidewalk that led to a door clearly worn with age. The doorbell was falling off its screws, the metal too rusted to tighten them. On the porch was a winged stone rabbit with blank eyes and a dopey smile sitting next to a pot of flower.

 

Shiro dug into the side pocket of his backpack, retrieving a key and turning it in the lock. It unlocked with a click, the door swinging open. Keith heard a windchime singing as they walked into the house.

 

“Here, put your shoes on the shoe rack. I’ll go find my  _ Jiji  _ and tell him you’re here. Go ahead and wait on the couch.”

 

Keith listened and plopped down on the sofa, almost sinking into the plush cushions. He looked around the room and breathed in the fresh air. There was a TV on top of a stand that looked old and dusty, a stack of movie cases piled next to it. The fireplace had old ashes in the bottom and a basket full of wood next to it, the head of the ax peeking out. There were potted plants right by the window, its leaves large and full. 

 

It was different than the house he went back to. It was refreshing to be in an area so clean. If anything, he felt guilty about getting the couch dirty, not having washed his hair in a few days. 

 

Shiro returned shortly after he left, returning with an old man holding a walking cane, bearing vaguely similar features to the other. They had the same facial structure and eye color, but that was where the similarities ended. He had a warm smile on his face that revealed the smile lines etched into his face from years of laughing.

 

“It has been a while since I last saw you, Keith. How have you been?”

 

“Good,” Keith answered shortly. He had never really connected with others like he did with Shiro, making conversations difficult.

 

Shiro’s grandpa nodded, his smile faltering for just a second. “Yes, I was wondering when I would get to see you again. Shirley’s death was hard for all of us. Oh, she was a great friend. Lived a happy life…”

 

The mood dampened considerably. The old man clapped his hands together, snapping them all back to the present. “So, I heard that you’re here to help out around the house! I do say, having Takashi here to help is great, but I feel guilty having him do it all. My age is finally catching up to me.”

 

Shiro clapped a hand on his grandpa’s shoulder. “It’s nothing really,  _ Jiji _ . I just thought Keith might want to hang out this afternoon.”

 

His grandpa scoffed. “And you invite him over to do chores? Some friend you are!”

 

Shiro laughed. “Well, it’s like you said, maybe I do need a little help.”

 

Shiro’s grandpa huffed, tapping Shiro’s leg with his cane. “Then make sure he has a nice stay. Don’t need two boys throwing out their backs at such a young age.”

 

“We will. Why don’t you sit on the couch? I’ll put on a movie for you.”

 

Once his grandpa was settled, Shiro turned to Keith, who was quiet for the whole exchange. “Follow me, let’s head to the backyard.”

 

The garden was located just behind the glass sliding door. The grass was a vivid green and still smelt like morning dew. A cobblestone path wound through the lawn, leading to a small pond that had a running waterfall. It was clogged with leaves, he noticed, causing the waterfall to sputter small trickles weakly. The brick wall was covered entirely by sunflowers, their faces tilted to catch the remaining hours of light.

 

“This place is almost spotless, what needs fixing?” Keith asked out loud. “I mean, the leaves I get, but everything else looks fine.”

 

Keith turned around only to get hit in the face with a pair of garden gloves. He heard Shiro laugh at him as he bent over to pick them up, grumbling unhappily to himself. 

 

“Yeah, the leaves are an issue. I keep avoiding doing it ‘cause I  _ hate _ putting my hands in the water. The fish always try to nibble my fingers. But we also have to pull weeds, trim the bushes, and all of that fun stuff.”

 

“That doesn’t sound fun at all…” Keith muttered. Either Shiro didn’t hear or he simply ignored Keith’s negativity. 

 

“Let’s get started!”

 

They started with the weeds, tossing each one into a large black trash sack. Keith could feel dirt inside of his gloves, worming their way underneath his fingernails. When he got hot, he took off his jacket only for the prickly leaves to scratch his forearms. 

 

“Yeah, what  _ fun _ ,” Keith said sarcastically, throwing a weed in the bag slightly harder than he did before.

 

“C’mon, it builds character,” Shiro smirked.

 

Shiro thankfully let Keith rest while the lawn was mowed, grabbing them both a bottle of water to drink from. He sat on the porch sipping absentmindedly as Shiro dug out the lawnmower from the shed, revving it multiple times to get it started. The sweat was cool on his hot skin.

 

The smell of cut grass was refreshing. But Keith’s break was over too soon for his liking. 

 

“Ugh, lord save me now,” Shiro said with a whine. They stood over the pond, Keith catching brief flashes of the fish inside through the small gaps.

 

There was no net to catch the leaves in, which was unfortunate. Keith could understand why Shiro hated doing this now. They rolled up the ends of their pants and took off their shoes, wallowing in the knee-high water. Grabbing handful after handful of leaves, they would dump it into a bucket which Shiro said they used for compost.

 

Shiro suddenly yelped, almost making Keith jump out of his skin. “A fish got me! Ugh, these little monsters!”

 

He swiped at the water, unintentionally splashing Keith. The entire front side of his shirt was now wet, sticking to his chest like a second skin.

 

Shiro clasped his hands just in front of his mouth, not letting the wet gloves actually touch his face. “Ohmygosh, are you okay-”

 

Keith swung his arm through the murky pond water, a huge wave of water smacking into Shiro. The other sputtered, almost tripping back. 

 

“Oh my  _ God _ , it got in my  _ mouth _ !” Shiro screeched, repeatedly spitting to the side. Keith laughed until his stomach hurt, bending over on himself.

 

He wasn’t prepared when Shiro shoved his head down into the pond. Obviously, there was a struggle, resulting in both of them slipping on the mossy rocks and tumbling into the dirty pond water. Needless to say, they were both thoroughly soaked at this point.

 

Keith laid down against the rocks in a daze, staring at the leaves of the tree above him. Sunlight poked through the holes, the sky just starting to fade into various pinks and oranges. He couldn’t fight down the bubbling laughter in his chest, giggling until his shoulders bounced wordlessly. 

 

Shiro then blocked his view, the tuft of his hair soaked and limp in front of his face. “Hope you’re satisfied with yourself.”

 

Keith could only grin. “You have no idea.”

 

The fish chose this as their time to strike, nibbling at Keith’s toes and making him shriek. He leaped out of the water powered by nothing but fear and the sheer will of God, clamoring onto the pavement with a soggy slap. 

 

He peered into the water at the culprits, trying to burn them with his glare. Now that the blanket of leaves covering the surface of the pond was removed, he could count the fish swimming inside. There were four total, all koi. Three of them were orange and one of them was white with black spots. They swam around Shiro’s legs cautiously as to not get kicked.

 

Speaking of Shiro, he couldn’t stop laughing at the pathetic sight of Keith sprawled out on the pavement. His face was red as he wheezed, desperately trying to catch his breath. 

 

“Oh my  _ God, _ that was amazing! Serves you right!”

 

Keith quickly swiped his hand through the dirty lake water, startling the fish. It flung into Shiro’s mouth, just where he was aiming for. The teen sputtered uncontrollably, gagging dramatically.

 

“I hate you so much,” Shiro said between spits, muttering things under his breath that Keith didn’t catch.

 

“You’re just being a drama queen,” Keith said condescendingly.

 

Shiro scooped his hands into the pond. “Yeah, I bet you would  _ love _ the taste of fishy water. Want to try some?”

 

Keith bolted to the other side of the yard before Shiro could even hoist himself out of the water.

 

After the chase was up (and a significant amount of water missing from the pond), they both laid down in the grass, their chests heaving. The sun was gently kissing the horizon, the bright rays enjoying their last moments. Shadows crept further across the ground from their hiding spots.

 

Keith began to shiver and the temperature started to drop. Shiro stuck out a hand for him to take, helping him up to his feet. Both of them were still completely soaked, water dripping from the ends of their hair.

 

“It’s getting late,” Shiro said, looking at the colorful clouds in the sky.

 

Keith hummed.

 

“We should get you home. I’ll walk with you.”

 

“I’m not five, I can walk by myself.”

 

“C’mon, can I not look after you anymore? What about all those times I took you to the cafe?”

 

Keith grumbled, shoving his hands into his wet pockets. “Fine, you can walk with me. Just this one time, though.”

 

Shiro grinned. “Alright, let’s get dried off first.”   


 

Keith followed him through the glass door with no complaints, melting when the warm air crashed into him. Shiro’s grandpa was no longer in the living room, the television off and couch empty.

 

They left a trail of water droplets wherever they walked. Shiro tossed Keith a towel fresh out of the drier and a pair of pajamas to change into. 

 

When Keith gave Shiro a weird look, he only laughed. “No, you aren’t staying the night. I thought this would be better than wearing wet clothes. Don’t want you getting a cold, do we? Go change, the bathroom is down the hall on the right.”

 

Keith shut the door with a click of the lock, startled when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. Right, he had gotten into a fight.

 

The bruise on his face had gotten worse since he had left school, swollen and sticking out like a sore thumb against his pale face. His nose wasn’t as red as it was before, thankfully. When he had first gotten punched, it bled so much he was afraid it had broke. He poked it lightly, hissing at the pain. Nope, just sore. 

 

Overall, he looked like a mess. 

 

He avoided looking in the mirror and peeled off his wet clothes, tossing them into a corner and forming a soggy pile. He patted himself dry before slipping into the pajamas Shiro lent him. They were incredibly thick and warm, decorated with Batman symbols. He tried imagining Shiro wearing them and snorted at the comical image in his head.

 

He dried his hair with the towel, noting that it was (sadly) cleaner now than it was before he had gotten in the pond. Now that his hair was frizzy and only slightly damp, he was ready to go.

 

One more accidental glance at himself in the mirror and he was out of the bathroom. He waited for Shiro by the front door, already wearing his (thankfully dry) jacket with his backpack slung over his shoulder.

 

Shiro locked the front door before they left, the neighborhood already dark, only lit by the hazy orange light of the street lamps that loomed overhead.

 

They walked through the dark, careful to stay on the sidewalk. “Are you sure your grandpa doesn’t mind me leaving without saying anything?”

 

Shiro shrugged. “Nah, he’s pretty chill. He probably saw how dark it was and knew you had to get back home. He’d understand.”

 

Keith hummed, doubtful. They passed under a lamp, the amber glow illuminating their faces before they returned to the dark. A lonesome cricket chirped from someone’s yard, a steady beat to fill the silence.

 

“Hey, Keith?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Are you doing okay?”

 

Keith made a look of confusion. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” It sounded too much like him trying to convince himself.

 

The cricket’s chirping ceased, leaving an empty space.

 

“Listen, about Shirley-”

 

“Don’t,” Keith bit out through gritted teeth, his hands tightening on the straps of his back. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

Shiro refrained from reaching out to Keith just yet. “And normally I would understand and respect that, but not this time.”

 

“Please, Shiro,” Keith said, his voice struggling to keep steady.

 

“Listen. People are here for you, Keith. You don’t have to be afraid to reach out for help. We are offering you some, no matter what.”

 

Keith couldn’t help but scoff. “Could have fooled me. Every day when Henry gets home, he always has a different bottle, already drunk off his ass. He smells like alcohol, doesn’t take care of the house, and pretends I don’t exist unless he wants me to order a pizza. He’s not there for me, he wasn’t even before Shirley…” Keith sucked air through his teeth. “Before she left.”

 

Another lamp hung over their heads, briefly revealing the hurt look on Keith’s face. They fell back into the darkness.

 

“Henry isn’t himself, you know that. He’s mourning, just like you. Losing his wife was hard and that can take a lot out of people.”

 

“You feel hollow; like nothing can ever make you feel whole again. A pit of depression swallows you in and it’s so hard to get back on your feet that some stop trying. You stop caring about others; you stop caring about yourself. Mourning isn’t pretty. It isn’t looking out a window on a rainy day or pretty, silent tears.”

 

“It’s ugly. It tears you apart and leaves you with the pieces to put back together yourself. But that’s the thing; Eventually, you have to accept what happened. You have to move on- not forget, move on. ”

 

Keith was silent. “Do… Do you know from personal experience? Because of your…” He didn’t want to finish the sentence.

 

The hazy orange washed over them again. Shiro inhaled.

 

“Yes. I was the same way after I lost my parents.”

 

They walked quietly until they got to the cross-section, completely devoid of cars. “I’m sorry.”

 

“What for?”

 

“For shutting you out. For getting into a fight and getting suspended. I shouldn’t have been acting so stupid and I-” He cut himself off, his throat too tight to continue.

 

Shiro wrapped his arm around Keith, giving him a one-armed hug. Keith welcomed it, neither of them mentioning the wet spots on Shiro’s shirt. 

 

“It’s okay, Keith.”

 

It wasn’t, but Keith didn’t say that.

 

“You can talk to me, right? Me and  _ Jiji _ , we are here for you if you need us. You can come over to our house any time you want, especially when you’re alone at yours.

 

Keith pulled away, sniffing back the snot in his nose and wiping away the tear tracks with his sleeve. It must have been a sight: a preteen crying in the streets wearing almost  comical Batman pajamas. 

 

“Okay.”

 

Shiro ruffled his hair. “Good. Now let’s get you home.”

 

Keith’s house was just a little further down the road. He reached into his bag to retrieve the house key, inserting it and turning with a satisfying click. Shiro stood behind him, his bottom lip caught between his teeth.

 

“Keith?”

 

He turned around. “Yeah?”

 

“Take care of yourself. For me?”

 

Keith hesitated in the doorway, nodding jerkily. “Yeah.”

 

Shiro smiled at him almost sadly. “Thanks. See you later.”

 

“See you.”

 

The door closed behind Keith with a click, the house feeling even emptier than it was before.

 

~~~

 

Hunk pulled the last tray of cookies out of the oven, setting them on top of the stove carefully. He wiped his forehead with the back of his arm with a relieved sigh.

 

“And that’s the last one!”

 

All around the kitchen on almost every counter was a cooling rack, each stacked high with various cookie flavors. It was almost comical in a way. Almost concerning. Maybe a bit of both.

 

Keith for one was exhausted. He helped Hunk through most of it, but eventually, his arms ached too much from trying to mix- no, wrestle the cookie dough. He had collapsed into a chair only a few hours later, resigning to help Hunk shaped the dough into small squares.

 

It was like Hunk was a machine the way he robotically mixed, shaped, and baked. His hands were never still for the entire day, the sun already touching the horizon outside.

 

Now that there was no more room on the counters, that meant no more baking.

 

Thank  _ God,  _ Keith couldn’t help but think, rolling his shoulders. 

 

Hunk bagged up the cooled cookies in small bags, muttering ideas on what to do with them. There was no way the three of them could eat all of these before they went bad. Keith just wondered where the actual hell all of the ingredients came from. He could have  _ sworn _ they only had 5 sticks of butter.

 

Maybe Hunk really was a wizard in the kitchen.

 

But now that there was nothing to do, Keith noticed how twitchy Hunk seemed. His wings were never still, always swaying or trembling lightly. Now that he looked, he could see the other’s hands gently shaking as he looked for new things to do.

 

“There I was this morning eating a granola bar to cut down on dishes and yet I’ve got a whole mountain to deal with now,” Hunk said, his voice unnaturally loud. It didn’t take long for him to finish, his hands never still. Soon, he was the same as before, jittery with nothing to do.

 

Keith was now all too painfully aware of Hunk’s jumpiness.

 

“Hey, Hunk?” Keith said, grabbing the other’s attention as he looked around the now spotless kitchen.

 

“Yep? What’cha need?”

 

“Oh, well, I mean…” He trailed off and second-guessed himself before steeling his reserve. “Are you okay?”

 

When Hunk’s wings twitched violently on his back, Keith knew he was right. The other tried his best to recover, plastering a smile on his face. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

 

“You seem jumpy.”

 

“Mm, no. I just want to bake more I guess,” Hunk said, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing too stiffly. “It’s fun, you know?”

 

“Hunk… Seriously, are you okay?”

 

This time Hunk faltered longer before he gave up his act, his shoulders and wings dropping. “Yeah, no, you’re right. I’m just a little stressed right now. Cooking always seems to help but I went overboard.”

 

Hunk took a seat next to Keith, dropping his face in his hands. “Yeah, I don’t know what you’re going to do with them.”

 

Hunk gave a half-hearted shrug. “Dunno. Lance will probably inhale them like a vacuum. Curse him and his fast metabolism.”

 

Keith laughed through his nose. “Yeah, I can see him doing that.”

 

Hunk sighed long and deep, his eyes shut. “I’m just worried about Lance. I know you’re being kept in the dark about a lot of things, and I’m sorry for that and all, but what’s going on is super top-secret in the Altean kingdom and we are supposed to keep our lips tight.”

 

“It’s okay,” Keith said, not mentioning how Lance had hinted at it while they were in town in the alleyway. “Somethings have to be kept secret and all.”

 

“I know Lance can handle himself, but I can’t help it. He’s my nestmate, you know?”

 

Keith nodded, not relating at all. To be fair, his roommate at the children’s home was a little shit, so maybe normal roommates felt this close to each other. Not like he’d know.

 

Hunk laughed mostly to himself, his eyes half-open and a gentle smile pulling at his lips. “Man, he hasn’t even been gone for a day and I already miss him. Makes me wish we had phones out here.”

 

Keith looked up in surprise. “You guys have technology?”

 

Hunk gave him a disappointed look. “Duh, of course. Well, not in the nest, but as a society, yes. What do you take us for, barbarians?”

 

Keith’s face flushed with embarrassment. “N-No, I didn’t mean it like that. I just haven’t seen any the whole time I’ve been here so I just assumed…”

 

Hunk clicked his tongue, shaking his head in disappointment. “Shame on you. But yeah, we have modern technology here. You see more of it in heavily populated places like Altea instead of out here. There’s literally no connection anyway since the border interferes with it all.”

 

“Border?”

 

“Yeah, the border. It separates the magical world from the human world. Nobody wants to live close to it cause of y’know, precautions. Lance is all confident in it cause “magic never fails”, but I dunno, it still makes me nervous. I think Allura fed him that since it was the royal family who cast it.”

 

“Why was it put up? I mean, this place is already in the middle of nowhere.”

 

Hunk’s expression fell. “Oh. Um, well, you see… A long time ago, there was a massacre. Or maybe a genocide is a better term for it.”

 

Keith already knew he was going to regret this question  _ why did he have to open his mouth _ .

 

“So humans killed thousands of magic species, specifically targeting Avians. They wanted our wings to mantle up on their walls or something, I guess,” Hunk said in a soft voice, stroking his own feathers. “There weren’t many Alteans at the time, only a handful at the most. It was the Gods that bestowed them with powers to save us. With it, they cast the border.”

 

“It was a little too late at that point, though. A lot of Avian varieties were completely erased, like those descended from ivory-billed woodpeckers. Apparently one of my ancestors was one, but I don’t see the similarities.”

 

They both laughed in a poor attempt to ease themselves, desperate for some comic relief. Hunk sighed. “So most try to stay away from the borders, afraid they’ll be the first to go if the border somehow falls.”

 

Keith pinched the skin of his palm. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

 

Hunk shook his head, wiping off his look of remorse and replacing it with a smile. “No, no, it’s fine. You didn’t do it and besides, what’s in the past is in the past.”

 

“Is that why Lance hates me?” Keith asked, the words rushing out of his mouth before he could even think to stop them.

 

 

Hunk looked to the side. “No. Not exactly. Again, I can’t tell you without invading his privacy, so…”

 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” Keith quickly said, waving his hands in front of his face. “But seriously, I’m sorry that it happened, even if it was in the past. It was wrong.”

 

Hunk looked at Keith with a sparkle of amusement. “You’re a good person, you know that?”

 

Him? A good person? Laughable.

 

Hunk stood, his chair screeching as it slid across the floor. “Hold on, I have something I want to give to you.”

 

The Avian walked over to one of the kitchen drawers, sliding it open and rummaging inside until he grabbed what he was looking for with an “aha!”. When he turned around, Keith’s eyes grew wide, his mouth hanging open just a little.

 

In Hunk’s hands was his dagger. The only remnants of his parents, hidden away in the kitchen this whole time. It hit him with a pang of guilt that he had almost forgotten that it was taken from him during his frenzy to get to Shiro.

 

Hunk handed it directly into Keith’s hands, the latter drinking in the details and checking it was alright. All of the scratches from before were there, the notch in the handle catching his skin as he ran his finger over it. The stone in the middle was still there, the white symbol painted on it so bright it almost looked like it was glowing.

 

“I think you deserve to get this back by now. You’ve proven you weren’t a threat a long time ago. Just don’t tell Lance I gave it to you already or he might get mad. Neither you or I want to deal with an upset Lance.”

 

Keith said the thing stuck at the front of his mind, disregarding almost everything Hunk said previously.

 

“Did you guys  _ seriously _ hide my knife in the silverware drawer?”

 

Hunk was quiet, fidgeting with his hands. “Um… Yes?”

 

Keith palmed his face, shaking his head before slowly melting into a laugh. “Was that  _ seriously _ the best hiding place you guys could have thought of? You have five thousand different hidden compartments up at the shower but  _ no _ .”

 

Hunk put his hands on his hips. “Well excuse me, we were in a rush. And I mean, you cut food with knives, so it’s like…” Hunk tried defending himself before he trailed off. “Wait, no, you’re right. That actually was pretty stupid.”

 

“Not as stupid as me not being able to find it.”

 

“See? The drawer did its job well. Don’t shame her,” Hunk said, stroking the knob of the drawer.

 

“Did you just call it a ‘her’?” Keith asked with a judgemental look on his face. 

 

“Oh, now you’re going to shame me, huh?”

 

Keith sighed, but his smile stayed. “There’s no winning is there?”

 

Hunk shook his head. “Nah, you should give up at this point. It’s getting late now, the sun is down.” They both looked out the window to see the inky black forest outside. “I hope Lance made it to Allura’s alright.”

 

Keith patted Hunk’s arm in what he hoped was a reassuring way. “Knowing him, he’ll be fine.”

 

Hunk bit the inside of his cheek. “Yeah. You’re right.” He shook his head and broke himself out of his depressing thoughts. “You want to read something? We have a bunch of books in the living room you can try out.”

 

Keith shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

 

Hunk took the couch, picking up an old book creased with dog-ears. He curled up next to the armrest, his wings curled close and swept to the side to avoid crushing them. It still amazed Keith how they could control their wings with such control.

 

He picked the first book he saw off the shelf, not even bothering to read the title. He sat himself down in the overstuffed chair, curling his legs up to his chest and opening the book on his knees.

 

… He didn’t understand half of the words written on the page.

 

Nevertheless, he pushed through, only to end up dozing off and falling asleep in the chair. He vaguely felt Hunk drape a blanket around him before he gave in to unconsciousness, dreaming of cotton-candy plants and purple figures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those koi were based on the ones that used to be in my own pond in my backyard. Unfortunately, they died over the winter... and I didn't find out until my dog dragged them out of the water and dumped them in the yard...
> 
> Thanks for reading! See you later!

**Author's Note:**

> WHOA YOU MADE IT TO THE END?! A feat few have achieved. 
> 
> If you enjoyed, go ahead and leave a review or kudos! I look at every single one and cherish them very much. It fuels me to get my work done and get you chapters faster with fewer delays. Your words are powerful! Use them!
> 
> I take prompts from time to time on my Tumblr which you can find it {a href="http://plumpwhump.tumblr.com}here{/a}  
> Or if you want to drop me some questions, I'll never turn those down ;3c
> 
> Updates Fridays!


End file.
